1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:04,680 We have much reason to be celebrating because of the God 2 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:07,960 that we serve. But I wonder if you've ever 3 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:13,000 asked the question why most Christians, most churches, set 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:17,840 apart the Sunday before Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday 5 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:22,720 to celebrate what is commonly known as Palm Sunday. 6 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:29,720 What's this day really about? This is just tradition is it's 7 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:32,000 just us going through the motions. 8 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,200 I want to propose to you today that one of the primary reasons 9 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:41,240 we should be rejoicing and turning our attention and what 10 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:48,280 is recognized as the triumphal entry is because on this day, 11 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:51,960 Jesus Christ of Nazareth fulfilled ancient prophecy. 12 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:59,480 Moreover, it is at this event that Christ strategically and 13 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:04,720 intentionally entered into Jerusalem to declare the truth 14 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:09,280 of His Messiahship in the most open and public way than He ever 15 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:14,840 had in His three-year ministry. We have to remember that Christ 16 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:18,280 did, during His ministry, reveal Himself as Messiah, but it was 17 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:22,200 frequently to individuals and it was mainly private. 18 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:29,840 But on this day, Jesus Christ decided to present Himself as 19 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:34,880 such for all to see and all to hear. 20 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:41,760 And the reason is because He is who the prophets pointed to, and 21 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:46,680 the way that He chose to do it at this point was to fulfill 22 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:51,720 what one prophet said the Messiah would do 500 years 23 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:54,120 before Christ even entered into our world. 24 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,040 Many of you are familiar with the common scripture that is 25 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:01,880 quoted at this time of the year, but it's worth revisiting. 26 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:05,960 So turn with me in your Bibles to Zechariah Chapter 9, and 27 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:13,680 let's look at verse 9 together. Zechariah 9, verse 9. 28 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,800 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout aloud, O daughter of 29 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:35,520 Jerusalem, behold, your King is coming to you righteous and 30 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:40,240 having salvation. Is he humble and mounted on a 31 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:44,360 donkey? On a colt, the full of a donkey? 32 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,960 Lord, this is our portion today in your word. 33 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,960 We pray that it would be delivered and received in power. 34 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,120 We pray that it would do something in our hearts. 35 00:02:56,920 --> 00:03:00,040 We pray that it would help us fall deeper in love with Jesus 36 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:02,320 Christ. Lord, we thank you for your 37 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:03,760 word. Thank You that we have access to 38 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:05,920 all of it. Thank You that it is the reason 39 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:08,600 why we are saved. It is the reason why we can 40 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:10,000 grow. It is the reason why we can have 41 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,280 hope and joy and peace. And it is the reason why we can 42 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:15,320 know you. And we pray that we would know 43 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,280 you deeper through this service. In Jesus name we pray. 44 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:23,520 Amen. While all the Gospel accounts 45 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:27,640 record how Jesus entered into Jerusalem on the donkey, it was 46 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:31,800 only Matthew and John who explicitly quotes Zechariah when 47 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:35,400 he did so. This is a common connection to 48 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:37,040 most believers. They understand how Christ 49 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,440 fulfilled this prophecy. But what I want to show today is 50 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:44,760 that what Zechariah is saying here is much more profound in 51 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:47,280 Christ fulfilling it than we might have realized. 52 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,560 There is so much more going on here than Jesus Christ 53 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:55,640 displaying Himself in humility, although that is paramount, that 54 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:57,800 is wonderful. We do serve a humble king. 55 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:02,360 There is much more to understand about how Christ fulfilling this 56 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:06,000 says much more about him. And the first thing that I 57 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:10,080 believe we have to do is consider what Zechariah's words 58 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:12,440 in this verse meant to his original audience. 59 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:14,560 Have you ever thought about that? 60 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:21,680 What did his original listeners here when Zechariah preached 61 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:26,720 this to them? And I think it's worth examining 62 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:31,920 who Zechariah is number 1 and who are his listeners #2 So did 63 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,520 you turn to Zechariah 9? Go to Zechariah 1 and look at 64 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,680 verse one with me. If you've been with us here on 65 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,440 Fridays, then this shouldn't be too new for you because we've 66 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:44,560 looked at Zechariah briefly through the book of Ezra. 67 00:04:44,840 --> 00:04:46,840 But let's look at it here in a new lens. 68 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:51,680 Zechariah one verse one it reads in the eighth month, in the 69 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,280 second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet 70 00:04:55,280 --> 00:05:00,960 Zechariah, the son of Berekiah, son of Iddo saying so, Zechariah 71 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:03,080 is a prophet, right? It's clear, it's obvious. 72 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,840 But the timing of his prophetic ministry is what's so vital to 73 00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:10,440 grasp. He began preaching in this way 74 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,800 in the second year of Darius. What does that inform us about? 75 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:18,880 It informs us that Zechariah was raised up by God after the 76 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:22,200 people of Judah were taken from their land in the Babylonian 77 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:25,440 exile. And more than that, he began 78 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:31,480 preaching after some of the Jews returned to Jerusalem after 79 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:33,960 enduring some time in captivity in Babylonia. 80 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:40,520 So Zechariah is someone here who is preaching after the people 81 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:44,120 were removed and after some of them came back. 82 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:50,520 Which makes Chapter 9, verse 9 all the more enthralling because 83 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:54,160 what the Bible teaches is that the Last King that Judah has 84 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:58,280 ever known was Zedekiah. That's what we see at the end of 85 00:05:58,280 --> 00:06:03,360 the Book of Second Kings. And since Zedekiah's time, there 86 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:08,120 was no king. Even after the people returned 87 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:11,800 to Jerusalem, even though they were restored to their homeland, 88 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:17,560 the monarchy was never revived. God did use very important 89 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:20,880 leaders to bring the people back to the Holy Land. 90 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:24,640 Men like Ezra, men like Zerubbabel, men like Nehemiah. 91 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:29,160 But none of them were kings. Ezra was a priest. 92 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:32,840 Zerubbabel and Nehemiah were appointed governors. 93 00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:39,520 Nothing more, nothing more. In fact, you'll notice something 94 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:42,480 interesting about most biblical books that were written after 95 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:44,560 the exile. They're known as the post exilic 96 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:46,800 books like what we have here in Zechariah. 97 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:50,960 Look at verse one again and the 8th month in the second year of 98 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:55,800 Darius. Something happens with these 99 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:00,280 authors after the exile. They write their books 100 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:05,120 differently than those who wrote before the exile, so you don't 101 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:06,200 have to turn to these references. 102 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:07,680 Just listen to them very carefully. 103 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:11,200 That's Zechariah one, one in the second year of Darius. 104 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:16,320 Listen to Haggai 11 Haggai one one who was another prophet 105 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:18,560 during the same time. It says here in Haggai one one 106 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:21,560 in the second year of Darius the king in the sixth month, on the 107 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:23,840 first day of the month, the word of the word of the Lord came by 108 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:27,000 the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubel the son of Sheautiya, 109 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,120 governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehovah, that the 110 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,040 high priest again in the second year of Darius. 111 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:37,800 Listen to how Ezra opens his book in Ezra, one one in the 112 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:40,640 first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the word of the 113 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:42,440 Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. 114 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:45,760 And it goes on. I'm not sure if you've noticed 115 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:47,960 this. It's subtle, I'll admit that, 116 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:51,680 but if you look closely, these biblical authors are doing 117 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:55,600 something very different than those who wrote before this 118 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:58,440 massive moment known as the exile. 119 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:03,120 They date their writings according to foreign kings. 120 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:10,520 On your own time, I encourage you to look at Isaiah, for 121 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:16,160 example, Jeremiah, other prophets, and look at how they 122 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:18,680 place their time stamps regarding their prophecies. 123 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:21,680 They refer to the kings of Judah. 124 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:25,920 They refer to the kings of Israel in some cases. 125 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:29,640 But then after the exile, the prophets don't. 126 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,080 Do you know why there are no more kings? 127 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:39,640 And so now they are looking to empires and rulers who are not 128 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:43,840 directly connected to the people of God, obviously to put their 129 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:48,480 messages into context. And so you can imagine how 130 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:52,320 shocking it must have been for Zechariah's audience, among the 131 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:56,800 first to return to Jerusalem, when he said to them, Rejoice 132 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,480 greatly. O daughter of Zion, shout aloud. 133 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,560 O daughter of Jerusalem, behold, your king is coming to you. 134 00:09:05,680 --> 00:09:08,800 A king is coming to us. Who? 135 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:15,120 From where? It's been decades upon decades 136 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:19,000 since we had a king, and even our own prophets refer to other 137 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:20,240 kings. And now all of a sudden you're 138 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:21,800 telling us that a king is coming to us? 139 00:09:22,560 --> 00:09:29,240 When And here's what makes Zechariah 99 even more glorious 140 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:34,720 when you consider what other prophets are saying about this, 141 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:40,480 namely what would come about the people after their exile and 142 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:45,080 makes this shocking. Here's what I mean. 143 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:50,760 There are other prophecies made that show that even after the 144 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:55,560 suspension of the monarchy, there would be another king, but 145 00:09:55,560 --> 00:09:57,040 it wouldn't be any ordinary king. 146 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:03,600 That the next king that would come after the Kingdom of Israel 147 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:10,320 and Judah lay dormant would be the king, the Messiah, the son 148 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:12,840 of David, the one who would accomplish what no other king 149 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:18,240 before could ever do. And one of the strongest cases 150 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:21,400 for this, that the next king that Judah and Israel as a 151 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:24,680 nation should expect will be the final one, is in the book of 152 00:10:24,680 --> 00:10:27,680 Ezekiel. Go to Ezekiel chapter 21. 153 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,920 This is not a very known prophecy, and it's a shame 154 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:35,040 because it is so powerful. Ezekiel was a prophet in 155 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:38,800 Babylonia. He was not a prophet in Judah. 156 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:44,600 He was not a prophet in Israel. He was among the Exiles and he 157 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:49,480 prophesied from Babylon to encourage the people in the land 158 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:51,920 with him and those who remained in Judah. 159 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:54,680 You have to remember that the exile of the people of Judah was 160 00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:57,440 not in one moment. It happened in three 161 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:02,560 deportations, and Ezekiel was among the second group that were 162 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:07,320 removed from their homes. And God used them, though a way 163 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:11,280 to give encouragement and primarily warning about the 164 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:14,880 final judgment that is looming. The people still thought we, we 165 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:17,280 still have our king. We still have our people. 166 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:19,640 Surely God is not going to remove us from our land. 167 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:22,400 And Ezekiel is one of the main mouthpieces that's saying, hey, 168 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:25,440 it's coming. It's coming. 169 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:28,600 Yeah, we're the second deportation, but there's a final 170 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:29,960 one coming. And it's going to settle 171 00:11:29,960 --> 00:11:33,360 everything once and for all. And God's judgment will come to 172 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:36,720 fruition. And here's one of the ways that 173 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:38,480 he says it. Are you there in Ezekiel 21? 174 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:45,920 Scroll down with me here to verse 25, Ezekiel 21, verse 25, 175 00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:52,320 And you, O profane wicked 1, Prince of Israel, whose day has 176 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,880 come, the time of your final punishment. 177 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:57,520 Pause. Who is he speaking about here? 178 00:11:58,040 --> 00:12:00,920 Who's the wicked one? The Last King of Israel, 179 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:04,480 Zedekiah, the Kingdom was divided. 180 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:06,560 You had Judah and Israel was the northern tribes. 181 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:08,640 But here he just mentions them as one. 182 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:16,760 And he calls the Last King Zedekiah wicked and profane, and 183 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:19,960 more than that with prophetic punch. 184 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:23,960 He didn't even call him a king. What does he say? 185 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:30,040 O profane, wicked 1, Prince of Israel, whose day has come, the 186 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:33,080 time of your final punishment. Look at verse 26. 187 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:38,000 Thus says the Lord God, remove the turban and take off the 188 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,160 crown. Things shall not remain as they 189 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:43,720 are. Exalt that which is low, and 190 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:47,960 bring low that which is exalted. So you see, the warning goes 191 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,560 beyond Zedekiah here. Ezekiel also predicts the end of 192 00:12:51,560 --> 00:12:55,680 the royal office itself. What does he say? 193 00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:57,800 Remove the turban and take off the crown. 194 00:12:57,800 --> 00:12:59,840 Things shall not remain as they are now. 195 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:03,800 If you read the King James Version, verse 26 should read 196 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:10,400 remove the diadem and the crown. But the Hebrew word for diadem 197 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:13,560 is more accurately turban, the headpiece that a priest would 198 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:15,840 wear. So this is where this is an 199 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:18,440 instance where the ESV and other modern modern translations are 200 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:21,880 more accurate. Remove the turban, remove the 201 00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:25,000 crown. Things will not be the same. 202 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:30,720 What's Ezekiel saying here? The priestly and especially the 203 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:34,720 royal office symbolized by the turban and the crown, would 204 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:37,800 never be the same once the people come into exile. 205 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,840 In other words, the glory of these functions would be 206 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:46,960 diminished and ultimately their offices would not function. 207 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:50,080 They would cease to be an operation. 208 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:52,240 And that's exactly what happened. 209 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:57,240 There was no king after the exile, and though there was a 210 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:00,200 brief resurgence of the priesthood, it was never what it 211 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:05,040 was before. This is a staggering prophecy, 212 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:07,800 and thank God it didn't end here. 213 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:12,480 Notice what he says in verse 27, Ezekiel 21, verse 27. 214 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:16,440 A ruin, ruin, ruin. I will make it. 215 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:26,440 This also shall not be until he comes, the one to whom judgement 216 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:28,640 belongs, and I will give it to him. 217 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,080 What a prophecy. You see what he's saying here? 218 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:35,200 This should take your breath away. 219 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:42,000 The crown is going to be removed, the throne will be 220 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:48,120 unoccupied, there will be no monarchy in Israel until he 221 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:51,560 comes. And when he comes, I'm going to 222 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,960 give it all to him. Who? 223 00:14:57,120 --> 00:14:58,520 That's a question we should be asking. 224 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:02,640 And this is where knowing our Old Testament is absolutely 225 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:06,800 crucial because the Bible doesn't spoon feed us with 226 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:08,760 quotations and references all the time. 227 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:13,120 Much more than that, the Bible assumes that you and I have been 228 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:17,000 reading our Bibles. And so when you pick up on 229 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,600 certain phrases or languages, you should be able to say, I've 230 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:22,720 seen this before. This is an echo of something 231 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,160 that I've read in the past. And that's what Ezekiel is doing 232 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:31,480 here until he comes. That should sound familiar to us 233 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:36,440 because it's an allusion to one of the first prophecies about a 234 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:38,960 royal Messiah. Back in the book of Genesis, 235 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:43,600 when Jacob looked at each of his sons who had become the tribes 236 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:47,880 of Israel, and when he came to Judah, he made an amazing 237 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:50,160 promise. Would you like to know it? 238 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,760 Genesis 49. Look at this with me. 239 00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:02,800 Scripture interprets Scripture. Genesis 4910. 240 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,080 The ESV renders this verse a little differently, and I'll 241 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:10,800 explain why in a moment, but most other word for word 242 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:17,520 translations are the same. In Genesis 4910 it reads, the 243 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:21,840 scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler staff from 244 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:24,680 between his feet, until tribute comes to him. 245 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:28,000 That's where it's different, and to him shall be the obedience of 246 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:29,560 the peoples. Let me read it to you from the 247 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:33,480 New American Standard in Genesis 4910. 248 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:36,960 It says the scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler 249 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,960 staff from between his feet until Shiloh comes. 250 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:41,800 Is that what you have in your translation? 251 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:45,160 Maybe for some until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the 252 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:47,960 obedience of the peoples. Why do other translations have 253 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:52,160 the word or the name Shiloh while the ESV says until tribute 254 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:53,520 comes? Because the etymology, the 255 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:55,800 original word, is a little bit complex. 256 00:16:56,720 --> 00:16:59,880 It can mean Shiloh, and it can mean one to whom something 257 00:16:59,960 --> 00:17:01,960 belongs, one who deserves something. 258 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:04,280 That's why the ESV renders it in the following. 259 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:08,760 But with whatever translation you go with, one thing is 260 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:13,119 absolutely clear. The prophecy anticipates that 261 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:15,680 Judah will be preeminent among his brothers. 262 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:19,480 He will have a ruling class. He will have a ruling role even 263 00:17:19,599 --> 00:17:25,440 of and above his own siblings. You can imagine the shock on the 264 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:29,520 the brothers faces, the scepters coming from his line. 265 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:32,520 Yes, and there's a reason for that. 266 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:35,720 Maybe we'll talk about in the future, but the prophecy is much 267 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:39,000 more precise than this. Yes, there will be a Kingdom 268 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,320 that will come and it'll be the line of Judah that will have a 269 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:48,200 succession of kings to operate and to regulate that function. 270 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:50,800 But there's a person in view here. 271 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:53,240 Notice the last part of verse 10. 272 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:56,560 And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. 273 00:17:57,120 --> 00:18:01,240 There's a person, there's a king among the kings from the line of 274 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:03,840 Judah, who will do what no other king could do. 275 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:08,200 And what's that? This king is not just going to 276 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:17,200 subdue and rule over Israel, but over the world, the obedience of 277 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:24,560 the peoples, the nations, until Shiloh comes, until tribute 278 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:29,240 comes, until he comes. And then Ezekiel, after 279 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:33,960 pronouncing that the royal government would be paralyzed 280 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:40,920 for a time, says until he comes. So we have to step back now and 281 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:44,040 put this all together. We started in Zechariah 9. 282 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:48,320 Why did we go to Ezekiel? Because what Ezekiel is telling 283 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:53,160 us, yes, there is no king now. There will be no Kingdom until 284 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:57,440 the one that Genesis speaks about arrives on the scene. 285 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:01,640 And Zechariah, who's coming to a people who have not known a 286 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:05,680 king, who can't even imagine a king emerging with all the 287 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:12,640 complexities of the world and geopolitics adds to Ezekiel's 288 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:16,120 promises, says you will know when this king comes, when he 289 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:24,160 arrives on a donkey, righteous, humble and armed with your 290 00:19:24,160 --> 00:19:28,240 salvation. And then hundreds of years pass 291 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:32,720 and you have guys like John and Matthew who say Jesus of 292 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:36,200 Nazareth is that king. And they quote Zechariah and 293 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:39,760 they apply it to him and Jesus himself. 294 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:41,920 This, it wasn't accidental what he did. 295 00:19:42,360 --> 00:19:45,480 He planned it in order to convey the message. 296 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:49,080 I am that king. And I'm not just a descendant 297 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:52,200 from the line of David. I am the final king. 298 00:19:52,360 --> 00:19:56,480 None will come after me. I will do what the prophet said 299 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:02,520 I would. Do you see how deep this is now? 300 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:05,400 As glorious as it is, as as harmonious as it sounds. 301 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:09,880 Like all the prophecies in the Old Testament pointing to 302 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:13,080 Christ, this one has its objections, and we won't be able 303 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:14,920 to cover all of them today. But I want to touch on the most 304 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:18,600 common one from our Jewish friends especially. 305 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:24,560 So you have some Jews who would outright deny that Zechariah 99 306 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:27,400 is in fact a Messianic prophecy. They would say that Christians 307 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:30,120 are forcing Jesus into that passage, and even the New 308 00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:33,760 Testament authors are manipulating it in order for it 309 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:35,400 to seem as though Christ fulfilled it. 310 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:40,520 And besides the biblical evidence that we just sampled, 311 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:45,440 the way you answer this objection is to remind such 312 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:49,160 people that their own rabbinic literature says that this is a 313 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:52,320 Messianic prophecy. So I'll give you one example. 314 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:55,280 In the Babylonian Talmud, in the part where you have the 315 00:20:55,280 --> 00:21:03,200 Sanhedrin 98 verse A or part A, you have a rabbi who's dealing 316 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:05,320 with an apparent contradiction. Here's the contradiction that 317 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:07,360 he's trying to solve. You can read this. 318 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:11,600 He understands that Messiah from Daniel 7 will come on a cloud. 319 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:16,080 And then he says, but Messiah will also come on a donkey from 320 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:18,440 Zechariah 99. And they try to solve this and 321 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:20,200 they try to reconcile this. So you know what this rabbi 322 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:22,600 concludes? This is it. 323 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:26,640 If we, the people of Israel are worthy, our Messiah will come on 324 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:29,080 a cloud. If we are unworthy, he will come 325 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:32,760 on a donkey. This is how they interpret it. 326 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:37,640 And there are other things in the Talmud that show and reveal 327 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:39,600 that this passage is indeed messianic. 328 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:43,480 To say then, that this is not messianic, it's to deny your own 329 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:47,280 authorities. But there are some Jews who 330 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:50,040 don't go that far. They acknowledge that Zechariah 331 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:53,160 99 is in fact a prophecy about the Messiah. 332 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:57,400 But they will challenge us in another way. 333 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,560 They will say the following. It's very convenient for you 334 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:04,560 Christians to quote Zechariah 99 and attribute it to Christ. 335 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:07,120 But you forgot about Zechariah 910. 336 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:12,000 And if you look at Zechariah 910, then you'll understand that 337 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,600 Jesus in no way could have fulfilled Zechariah's 338 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:18,240 prediction, therefore nullifying him as a candidate to be the 339 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:20,320 Messiah. What does Zechariah 910 say? 340 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:21,720 Well, some of you already got ahead of me. 341 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:26,000 Let's read it from verse 9 to look at it in its totality. 342 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,080 Zechariah 9 Verse 9. Again, rejoice greatly. 343 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:34,320 O daughter of Zion, shout aloud. O daughter of Jerusalem, behold, 344 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:37,080 your king is coming to you righteous and having salvation. 345 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:40,760 Is he humble and mounted on a donkey on a cold, the foal of a 346 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:44,520 donkey. Verse 10 I will cut off the 347 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:48,640 chariot from Ephraim and the War Horse from Jerusalem, and the 348 00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:52,800 battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the 349 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:55,600 nation's. His rule shall be from sea to 350 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:58,480 sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. 351 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:04,360 Do you see the supposed dilemma? Zechariah's prophecy says that 352 00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:07,640 the Messiah will not only come riding on a donkey, but that He 353 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:12,280 will usher in universal peace, that He will eliminate Israel's 354 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:16,760 enemies, and that He will in fact establish a global reign. 355 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:24,160 Did your Jesus do that? How do Christians answer this? 356 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:26,320 You know how some Christians answer this? 357 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:30,880 They say, well, well, well, Zechariah 99 is to be taken 358 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:33,920 literally. The Messiah will in fact be on a 359 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:36,160 donkey, and he will present himself in such a way. 360 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:41,040 But Zechariah 910 should be taken metaphorically, that this 361 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:44,600 is a illustration, this is poetic language to depict the 362 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:48,120 power of the Gospel and the transformation that the 363 00:23:48,120 --> 00:23:49,920 Christian message will bring to the world. 364 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,760 And I want to say this kindly. The context doesn't allow that. 365 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:58,320 And you and I have to be careful of determining what's literal 366 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:00,600 and what's allegorical whenever it suits us. 367 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:07,360 There is a better answer, there is a better explanation, and 368 00:24:07,360 --> 00:24:09,840 what we have going on here is one of the instances that we 369 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:13,640 find so frequently in the Old Testament of gaps between 370 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:17,560 prophetic declarations. This is a customary component of 371 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:21,680 biblical foretelling. If you were here last week, you 372 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:25,960 saw this when we spoke about Isaiah 61, verse 2, where the 373 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:29,120 Messiah will proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day 374 00:24:29,120 --> 00:24:32,680 of vengeance of our God. And Christ comes in Luke chapter 375 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:35,920 4, and he says that He is a fulfillment of this prophecy, 376 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:38,200 but he ends it after the year of the Lord's favor. 377 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:39,960 He didn't go on to the day Avengers of our God. 378 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:41,720 Why? Because there's a gap. 379 00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:44,520 There's a gap of time between that prophecy. 380 00:24:45,120 --> 00:24:48,400 Another example, famously is Isaiah Chapter 9, verse six and 381 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:51,360 seven. To us, a child is born, to us a 382 00:24:51,360 --> 00:24:53,640 son is given. And in the same breath, we read 383 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:57,120 about how his government will have no end. 384 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:01,520 What's going on there? The same thing. 385 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:05,760 There's a gap in the prophecy. Zechariah's prophecy is no 386 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:09,360 different. He's not speaking about Messiah 387 00:25:09,360 --> 00:25:13,040 in a single arrival, but in two separate advents. 388 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:18,640 And that is not reading too much into this prophecy That makes 389 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:22,240 the most sense when you consider all of prophecy concerning the 390 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:25,440 Messiah. Here's what I always ask those 391 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:29,320 who object to this. Many Jews are making the same 392 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:31,280 mistake that the Jews in Jesus they made. 393 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:35,640 You focus on all the prophecies of the Son of David, the 394 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:38,440 conquering king, the ruling 1 and you neglect the ones where 395 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:44,040 the Messiah suffers. So answer this then, where does 396 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:47,520 the death of Messiah, suffering of Messiah, burial of Messiah, 397 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:51,360 resurrection of Messiah fit in your understanding of God's plan 398 00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:54,560 and your understanding of God's program for Messiah? 399 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:59,200 And we just got a sample of it from the Babylonian Talmud. 400 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:02,320 OK, He's coming on the cloud. He's coming on a donkey. 401 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:06,480 So it's depended on us, how we live and how we obey that will 402 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:10,360 determine how he arrives. And you have other Jews to say 403 00:26:10,360 --> 00:26:12,840 no, no, no. In order to make sense of this, 404 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:18,440 there must be two messiahs. There's Messiah son of David and 405 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:20,440 Messiah son of Joseph. Messiah son of David is a 406 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:23,240 ruling, conquering. 1 Messiah, son of Joseph, is a suffering 407 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:29,560 one who will die in battle. The answer is simple. 408 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:35,240 For us as Christians, it's the same Messiah to advance, and the 409 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:39,160 Bible's honest enough to show us that with many prophecies, 410 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:42,240 especially those concerning the Christ, the timing and the full 411 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:44,920 scope of the mission are not always spelled that as plainly 412 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:48,960 as people might think, And the Bible even tells us that. 413 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:52,080 Did you know that first? Peter? 414 00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:59,360 Look at chapter 1 in verse 10, first Peter chapter one, verse 415 00:26:59,360 --> 00:27:14,110 10 concerning the salvation. 416 00:27:14,430 --> 00:27:17,470 The prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be 417 00:27:17,470 --> 00:27:20,270 yours searched and inquired carefully. 418 00:27:21,190 --> 00:27:24,190 We have this almost cartoonish understanding of how the 419 00:27:24,190 --> 00:27:27,870 prophets prophesied that when the Holy Spirit moved upon these 420 00:27:27,870 --> 00:27:32,640 men, they were almost like in a trance like state and God took 421 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:35,280 control of their hands and wrote out these prophecies and then 422 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:36,720 they came to he said what just happened. 423 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:38,920 That is not how prophecy happens. 424 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:43,520 These men who were used by God were in total control of their 425 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:48,080 faculties, of the personalities and God used them in their 426 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:52,880 uniqueness to pen down Revelation and Peter's 427 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:55,560 confirming this, that when they prophesied about the grace that 428 00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:58,360 was to be yours, they searched and inquired carefully. 429 00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:01,480 So they understood this is God speaking through me. 430 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:04,600 And then when they came to this revelation, they go, OK, what is 431 00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:07,840 this about? And they began to research and 432 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:10,520 don't even doubt that they looked at other prophecies of 433 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:12,720 other prophets and said, does this make sense with this? 434 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:15,240 Does this reconcile with this? Look how specific Peter gets in 435 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:21,520 verse 11 inquiring what person or time highlight that, what 436 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:26,080 person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating 437 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,080 when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent 438 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:33,440 glories. So they received revelation 439 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:35,760 about the Messiah, but they didn't fully understand it. 440 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:39,360 And part of the things that they would research with whatever 441 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:43,760 resources they had was, OK, who is this Messiah going to be and 442 00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:46,960 when is he going to do what the Spirit of God just revealed to 443 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:52,600 me? So in one sentence, he speaks 444 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:54,760 about his humility and his first coming. 445 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:57,240 And in the next part he's speaking about his global 446 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:00,200 messianic reign. And you can just imagine how men 447 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:03,440 like Zechariah are trying to understand how this all fits. 448 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:05,840 And Peter tells us that they didn't understand it fully. 449 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:12,800 I'd like to provide an added layer to our explanation of why 450 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:17,880 Zechariah 910 is not an obstacle for Jesus being the fulfillment 451 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:22,000 of this prophecy. Let's go to John chapter 12. 452 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:30,360 Zechariah 910 clearly describes what Christ will accomplish at 453 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:32,840 His return. But the point that I want to 454 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:39,760 make is that when He fulfilled Zechariah 9/9, He also gave a 455 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:44,520 sample of His power, of His Majesty, and of His sovereignty 456 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:48,880 that verse 10 alludes to at the time of His triumphal entry. 457 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:53,040 I hope that makes sense, but let's read from verse 12 of John 458 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:56,800 12. The next day the large crowd 459 00:29:57,120 --> 00:29:59,760 that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to 460 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:02,520 Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm 461 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:06,440 trees and went out to meet him, crying out, Hosanna, blessed is 462 00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:09,240 you comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel. 463 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:12,720 See what they're saying? They're calling Jesus king. 464 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:16,760 Verse 14. And Jesus found a young donkey 465 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:18,960 and sat on it, just as it is written. 466 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:22,040 Fear not, daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming, 467 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:25,440 sitting on a donkey's colt. Now these next few verses are 468 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:27,080 very important. Please pay attention. 469 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:31,080 Verse 16. His disciples did not understand 470 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:34,960 these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they 471 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:37,840 remember that these things had been written about Him and had 472 00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:41,640 been done to Him. The crowd that had been with him 473 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:45,280 when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the 474 00:30:45,280 --> 00:30:50,320 dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to 475 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:53,960 meet Him was that they heard He had done the sign. 476 00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:59,720 Have you ever wondered why the crowds greeted Jesus the way 477 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:01,480 they did? Again, we almost have a 478 00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:04,560 cartoonish understanding of some of these events that because of 479 00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:07,560 the Passover, the city was crammed with people from all 480 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:11,080 over the world and Jesus decided to come in a certain way and 481 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:13,440 there was just a group of people who kind of gathered others and 482 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:15,040 audience. And then there's just was a 483 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:19,400 spontaneous parade and people just got caught up in the 484 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:21,920 emotion and just decided to hail him as king. 485 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:27,000 That is not what happened. Something took place shortly 486 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:29,600 before Jesus entered into this scene. 487 00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:31,880 What was it? He raised Lazarus from the dead 488 00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:38,360 and that created a buzz. In fact, it was the miracle that 489 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:41,680 brought these people, though unfortunately not an accurate 490 00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:43,680 understanding, but brought them nonetheless to the point where 491 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:45,080 they say, OK, this has to be the Messiah. 492 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:49,200 This has to be the king. This has to be the one he who 493 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:54,480 else is going to deliver us? And so even them realize how 494 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:56,680 dangerous this is. They're under Roman oppression 495 00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:06,080 and they are out loud saying even the king of Israel and what 496 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:09,320 brought them to that point? What made them do this? 497 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:13,000 They had a revelation of the extent of the power of Jesus 498 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:18,400 Christ. They had eyewitness accounts 499 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:23,640 telling them this. Jesus raised a man from the dead 500 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:25,840 after being dead for several days. 501 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:27,760 You can imagine what they're thinking then. 502 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:31,600 Hold on this. Jesus raised somebody from the 503 00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:37,840 grave. If death obeys him, what nation, 504 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:40,960 what army, what foreign power can stand against them? 505 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:46,080 If death obeys him, then we have a chance. 506 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:52,120 Then let, let's, let's elect him, and he will surely deliver 507 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:55,320 us from Rome. And more than that, oh, he can 508 00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:59,000 bring to reality what the prophets have said, that we will 509 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:03,080 conquer from sea to sea. We will have dominion over all 510 00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:09,520 things. Christ demonstrated his power. 511 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:16,920 And I argue in a way that alludes to the potential of what 512 00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:21,120 verse 10 of Zechariah mentions. You know, it's so funny. 513 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:23,640 The language of the Pharisees in the very next verse is 514 00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:27,920 unintentionally insightful that they began to perceive that 515 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:30,400 there was this understanding developing among the crowds. 516 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:32,560 They were far less optimistic about it though. 517 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:34,280 Look at verse 19 of John chapter 12. 518 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:36,760 So the Pharisees said to one another, you see that you are 519 00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:38,920 gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after 520 00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:41,600 him. You know, these Pharisees have 521 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:48,800 the habit of saying things unintentionally prophetic, and 522 00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:52,400 this is hyperbolic, sure, but I believe that they are 523 00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:54,280 understanding what's taking place here. 524 00:33:55,080 --> 00:33:57,000 He's going to win the world if we don't stop him. 525 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:03,000 Why do I mention all this? To show that when people say 526 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:06,120 that Jesus could not have fulfilled Zechariah 99 because 527 00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:09,679 He did not accomplish Zechariah 910, we can explain that 528 00:34:09,679 --> 00:34:13,679 although Zechariah 910 is going to be fulfilled at His return, 529 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:19,880 when He did do this, He gave a preview of it because He raised 530 00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:23,320 a man from the dead. Who can stop such a man? 531 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:29,880 No other king has done this. And this crowd though they 532 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:33,159 didn't understand the suffering passages they were so fixed on, 533 00:34:33,159 --> 00:34:40,920 the conquering ones caught that. So if anyone points out that 534 00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:44,440 Christ that fulfilled the entire prophecy Zechariah made, and 535 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:48,760 that Christians only focus on the donkey riding part, remind 536 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:51,280 them why the crowd greeted him the way they did. 537 00:34:51,679 --> 00:34:57,160 He raised somebody from the dead, and in doing so he shows 538 00:34:57,160 --> 00:34:59,800 that he is unlike any other ruler and power and authority. 539 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:06,880 But he didn't unleash all of it the way Zechariah 910 hoped for. 540 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:10,320 Why? Because there was another 541 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:11,800 mission that needed to be accomplished. 542 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:14,920 Because this king set aside his glory. 543 00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:19,200 He set aside his authority so that he can lay down his own 544 00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:21,880 life and raise it up three days later. 545 00:35:24,240 --> 00:35:29,640 At the same time, he still keeps in motion this prophecy because 546 00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:31,960 he will rule and reign forever when he comes back. 547 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:42,040 My desire in coming into the service was to equip us because 548 00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:45,400 sometimes we quote scriptures and we sing about scriptures, 549 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:48,640 and then when somebody confronts us about our beliefs, we don't 550 00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:53,800 know how to answer them. Like, why are we here now? 551 00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:58,000 You know why we're here now. You know how this book is God's 552 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:00,560 book and how Jesus is the Messiah. 553 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:06,160 But let me offer you just a couple of truths that can stir 554 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:08,240 you on a personal level. How do these things apply to me 555 00:36:08,240 --> 00:36:10,560 now? I'm ready for objections. 556 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:13,040 Thank you, brother. I'm more confident in the 557 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:14,320 Scriptures. Praise the Lord. 558 00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:19,000 Let me mention a couple of observations that hopefully stir 559 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:21,520 you even more. You're still there in John 12. 560 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:25,160 Scroll back to verse 16. I want you to see the commentary 561 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:30,760 made about the disciples. His disciples did not understand 562 00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:34,800 these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they 563 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:37,480 remember that these things had been written about Him and had 564 00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:40,320 been done to Him. It's amazing how the Spirit of 565 00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:44,880 God LED John to admit this. It was an exciting time. 566 00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:46,320 They were moved, but they didn't understand it. 567 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:52,600 What's going on here? And it wasn't until Christ had 568 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:56,840 died and resurrected and was ascended into heaven that they 569 00:36:56,840 --> 00:36:59,240 fully understood the implications and the 570 00:36:59,240 --> 00:37:01,200 significance of events like this. 571 00:37:02,240 --> 00:37:03,960 Here's what's so startling. Think about it. 572 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:07,600 We read how the prophets of old, though they predicted these 573 00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:11,280 things about Christ, didn't have a comprehension about the 574 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:15,320 details. Though they were those who gave 575 00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:18,000 revelation, they themselves were left in the dark to some degree. 576 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:20,680 And then you come up to the apostles themselves, who lived 577 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:25,920 in the moment. They're witnessing it, and yet 578 00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:29,280 they didn't fully appreciate or properly interpret what was 579 00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:36,320 unfolding in front of them. But the church, ever since 580 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:40,680 Christ died and raised, has been given full revelation. 581 00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:46,600 And you and I can actually look back through Christ's teachings 582 00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:50,840 by way of his apostles laying the foundation of the doctrine 583 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:54,040 of the church. And we have the most clarity 584 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:55,800 that at any point in redemptive history. 585 00:37:55,800 --> 00:38:01,880 Do you understand this? The prophets didn't fully grasp 586 00:38:01,880 --> 00:38:03,800 it. The disciples were trying to 587 00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:06,120 make sense of it. And here you and I are with a 588 00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:09,240 copy of God's word on our hands and all that God has to say to 589 00:38:09,240 --> 00:38:11,400 man. And we can have sermons like 590 00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:16,840 this and we can study for ourselves and say, Yep, that 591 00:38:16,840 --> 00:38:18,800 makes sense. Yep, I see this pattern. 592 00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:21,520 Yep, that will be in the future. Yep, that was fulfilled. 593 00:38:22,240 --> 00:38:25,880 This is one of the elements that make us more blessed in the new 594 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:29,320 covenant. If people say, I wish I lived in 595 00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:31,000 the Old Testament times, do you really? 596 00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:35,120 I wish I can see this and see that, yeah, they saw different 597 00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:37,040 things, but they didn't have the clear that you and I have in our 598 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:41,120 Bibles. We're told in the Bibles that in 599 00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:44,160 the Bible that we are more blessed on this side of the 600 00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:48,720 cross. And we just got in a sample of 601 00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:51,640 it together, putting Scripture with Scripture, comparing it, 602 00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:55,080 seeing the consistency of God's Word, and leaving here more 603 00:38:55,080 --> 00:39:04,520 assured I'm in the truth. So rejoice that your faith has 604 00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:09,920 deep roots and that your faith in this Messiah, it's true. 605 00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:14,480 But let me, let me end here. Let's let's go back where we 606 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:16,560 started in Zechariah 9. And this will be the last 607 00:39:16,560 --> 00:39:21,480 scripture because in Zechariah 99, we looked at the Behold your 608 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:24,720 King is coming to you part. I want to look at how it begins. 609 00:39:25,920 --> 00:39:31,080 Zechariah 99. Rejoice greatly. 610 00:39:33,040 --> 00:39:35,960 Oh daughter of Zion, shout aloud. 611 00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:38,920 O daughter of Jerusalem, behold, your king is coming to you. 612 00:39:38,920 --> 00:39:42,600 Do you realize that the news of the arrival of this king and the 613 00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:46,320 fruit of his kingship is that he would make a joyful people? 614 00:39:49,680 --> 00:39:51,840 You know, the news of a new king is not always exciting. 615 00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:55,560 It can sometimes be terrifying. Who is this king? 616 00:39:56,120 --> 00:39:58,560 Is he a tyrant? Is he a maniac? 617 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:03,960 Is he selfish? Is he power hungry? 618 00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:06,960 Where is he going to lead our nation? 619 00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:09,680 Where is he going to lead us? What's going to happen to our 620 00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:13,040 children? And Zechariah assures us you can 621 00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:17,600 rejoice and not just rejoice, rejoice greatly at the news of 622 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:20,080 this king. He's not like the kings in first 623 00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:22,000 and second kings. He's not like the kings in 624 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:26,120 history. No, he's righteous and he's 625 00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:30,880 humble and he comes to save. He comes to save. 626 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:33,120 Here's my question for you today. 627 00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:38,280 Does the revelation of Jesus being king over your life 628 00:40:38,280 --> 00:40:44,160 produce real joy And if you if if you can't say with 629 00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:48,600 confidence, yes, I have joy and listen, joy is not just this 630 00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:51,320 like fluctuating emotion. I'm talking about the first 631 00:40:51,320 --> 00:40:55,080 Peter 18 joy, that though you can't see him with your eyes, 632 00:40:55,600 --> 00:40:58,360 though you haven't experienced him in the flesh, you rejoice 633 00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:01,720 with a joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. 634 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:05,200 That's New Testament and it's about us as Christians and our 635 00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:10,560 common experience. If you can't say I, I have 636 00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:15,720 experienced this reality that something was unlocked in my 637 00:41:15,720 --> 00:41:19,880 soul when I crowned Jesus Christ as the King of my life. 638 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:25,440 Nothing in this world can even compare to the happiness that I 639 00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:27,120 have. It could be for two reasons. 640 00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:30,880 Number one, you've never made Jesus Christ King. 641 00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:36,040 To some, whether they want to admit it or not, he's more like 642 00:41:36,040 --> 00:41:40,200 a Butler and he's there in the margins and whenever you're 643 00:41:40,200 --> 00:41:44,520 ready to call him Jesus, I need you and he comes and does your 644 00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:48,680 bidding. He's not a Butler, he's a king. 645 00:41:51,320 --> 00:41:55,680 Is Christ king? Did you make an intentional, 646 00:41:55,680 --> 00:41:58,360 conscious decision at one point in your life saying I am not the 647 00:41:58,360 --> 00:42:01,800 master of my faith, I am no longer the captain of my soul. 648 00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:05,960 You are, and you are worthy of it because you made my soul and 649 00:42:05,960 --> 00:42:08,360 you died for my soul. So take my soul. 650 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:12,440 Only then can you rejoice greatly. 651 00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:16,440 What a wonderful reward for making someone king. 652 00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:20,760 So maybe, maybe the reason why you can look back at your 653 00:42:20,760 --> 00:42:23,640 Christian life and you're hanging by a thread. 654 00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:26,320 Because if you're honest, you've been bored all these years. 655 00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:33,480 You've missed something. But #2 it could be that even 656 00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:36,280 though you can say with confidence that I unashamedly 657 00:42:36,280 --> 00:42:42,720 made Jesus King, you lost vision of him and something else, some 658 00:42:42,720 --> 00:42:45,880 other sparkling crown grabbed your attention. 659 00:42:48,120 --> 00:42:54,080 Some other throne that promised protection and pleasure 660 00:42:55,400 --> 00:43:01,520 convinced you for a season. And if that is you, then I pray 661 00:43:01,520 --> 00:43:06,560 that what you heard today would refocus your gaze and you'd 662 00:43:06,560 --> 00:43:09,280 realize that there's no other king with this kind of beauty. 663 00:43:10,520 --> 00:43:13,040 There's no other king who wants to be my friend. 664 00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:17,360 There's no other king who constantly extends his scepter, 665 00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:20,560 so I can freely come before the throne of grace and talk to him 666 00:43:21,080 --> 00:43:23,280 whenever I need to. I don't need to set an 667 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:26,320 appointment with this king. I can wake up at 3:00 in the 668 00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:28,640 morning, get on my knees on the side of my bed, and have his 669 00:43:28,640 --> 00:43:32,680 full attention. This king, though he rules the 670 00:43:32,680 --> 00:43:35,480 universe, cares about my life day by day. 671 00:43:35,880 --> 00:43:38,920 Yes, he has a scepter, but he also has a rod, and he shepherds 672 00:43:38,920 --> 00:43:47,240 me whether I feel it or not. Rejoice greatly, Maranatha Bible 673 00:43:47,240 --> 00:43:49,320 Church, because our King has come. 674 00:43:50,800 --> 00:43:53,600 Is he your king? I pray today would be the day 675 00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:56,040 where you make that decision. Let's pray. 676 00:44:13,680 --> 00:44:16,160 Thank you, Father, for feeding us today. 677 00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:23,000 Thank you for filling our hearts with joy. 678 00:44:28,970 --> 00:44:31,370 May we never be. May we never be ashamed of the 679 00:44:31,370 --> 00:44:37,050 gospel. May we be ready to defend and 680 00:44:37,050 --> 00:44:39,010 give explanation to the hope that is in US. 681 00:44:41,290 --> 00:44:42,890 Thank you that we are in the truth. 682 00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:47,400 Thank You that we have all that we need to know you and to make 683 00:44:47,400 --> 00:44:50,560 you known. Lord, we come to worship you 684 00:44:50,560 --> 00:44:53,760 with joy. Yes, because we have perhaps 685 00:44:53,760 --> 00:44:57,600 sharpened our way of being able to explain why we believe what 686 00:44:57,600 --> 00:44:58,600 we believe. But more than that, we've 687 00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:03,200 experienced this King. We've experienced your 688 00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:06,800 salvation. We know you. 689 00:45:08,320 --> 00:45:12,960 We love you so, Lord, We rejoice greatly in your presence. 690 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:17,640 And we say, Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus, come and finish what 691 00:45:17,640 --> 00:45:21,440 you started. Come and receive your rightful 692 00:45:21,440 --> 00:45:24,240 due. Receive the crown, receive the 693 00:45:24,240 --> 00:45:28,320 throne, receive dominion, take over this world. 694 00:45:32,160 --> 00:45:35,120 We thank you that we're part of your Kingdom by grace, that this 695 00:45:35,120 --> 00:45:40,280 King died on a cross so that we would be yours forever in Jesus 696 00:45:40,280 --> 00:45:43,040 name, Amen. Let's stand and worship this 697 00:45:43,040 --> 00:45:43,680 King together.