Well, please turn with me and your Bibles back to John chapter 12 and to verses 12 to 19. John chapter 12, verses 12 to 19. Of course, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, it's a very familiar story to us, isn't it? It's one that's commemorated every year on this day, Palm Sunday. But it is a very important, significant story in the life and ministry of Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John evidently believe so. They each record it for us. And it marks something of a climactic moment in the gospel story of Jesus. And for two principal reasons. One, it's here that Jesus decisively publicly reveals himself, identifies himself as King, as King of the Jews. And up until this moment, Jesus had really publicly kept his messianic identity, something of a secret. And two, this moment commences Jesus final showdown with the religious leaders and authorities of Israel. From the earliest days of Jesus' public ministry, there was conflict between him and the nation's religious leaders. And all four Gospels record for us how this conflict, it only intensified, it only escalated over time to the Pharisees, to the Scribes, to the Sanhedrin. Jesus was a troublemaker. Jesus was a public menace and a messianic pretender. They believed that he was a threat to their national security and peace. And Jesus, of course, he wounded their pride, didn't he? Exposed and denounced their self-righteousness, their hypocrisy, their unfaithfulness to God. Jesus' relationship with the religious authorities of Israel went from cold to simmering to boiling. And things here, as Jesus rides into Jerusalem, they're about to explode. In John 11, 53, in the chapter prior to this account of the triumphal entry, the chief priests and the Pharisees had already resolved to have Jesus destroyed. They had already planned to have him killed. And in John 11, verses 55 to 57, we read this. Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, And many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, what do you think? Will he come to the feast at all? Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know so that they might arrest him. So then picture this. that the chief priests and the Pharisees, they're looking for Jesus. They don't know where he is. They're seeking to arrest him. They want to destroy him. They're seeking to put him to death. And the very next time they see Jesus is here, riding in on a donkey, descending the Mount of Olives, coming into the city, coming into Jerusalem, surrounded by a great multitude of worshipers rejoicing and proclaiming that the King has come. Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. That is the next thing the Pharisees see and hear of Jesus. And like I said, and as you already know, this conflict between Jesus and the chief priests and Pharisees, it is about to blow up. And it will end with Jesus tortured and murdered. But what man meant for evil, God meant for good. For John, the crucifixion of Jesus marks the hour, the hour of Jesus' glory and victory, but more of that later. So I hope we can see the significance then and the importance of this story in the story of Jesus' life and ministry as recorded for us in the four Gospels. And before we continue any further, let us go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we thank you so much for your word that is living and active. And we pray that it would be living and active to us this morning, that you would speak to us powerfully by your power and in your grace, you would be at work in our hearts to give us understanding of your grace, and of the truth of your word, but also that you would transform us by the very power of your spirit into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Father, we come to a very familiar story, one that we have read all of us no doubt many times, but we pray that this morning you would give us fresh ears and fresh eyes to see the wonder and majesty of Jesus Christ, the King. We do pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. John's account of the triumphal entry is by far the shortest account. It's brief, it's pithy, it's to the point, but it's powerful. And it powerfully speaks to us of Jesus as king. It powerfully speaks to us of the kingship of Jesus. And this morning we'll consider three points regarding Jesus' kingship from this text. We'll see that Jesus is the humble king, the victorious king, and the rejected king. And I'll then conclude with some final remarks from Revelation 19 as to how Jesus is the returning king. But first, Jesus is the humble king. Jesus, the humble king. Would you please take another look at the text and reread these verses with me, verses 12 to 18. 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, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. And Jesus found a 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. His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 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 out to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. I hope you can imagine. I hope you can envision the scene. You see, throughout Jesus' earthly ministry, he had announced the arrival of the kingdom of God. And he blew people away with his words, with his authoritative teaching, with his wisdom. And he performed many signs and wonders healings and exorcisms. He opened the eyes of the blind. He made the lame to walk. He fed 5,000 hungry men with a little boy's lunch. He raised a man from the grave, Lazarus. His body had already been rotting away there for four days. And the people of Israel were awaiting the arrival of their promised savior, Messiah, the son of David. The people of Israel were, at this time, an oppressed people, conquered by Rome and promptly brought to heel. But God had promised them liberation. God had promised to overthrow their enemies. God had promised to bless them and to give them peace. And they knew God's promises very well. Promises such as Jeremiah 23, verses 5 to 6, just to give you one example. behold, the days are coming declares the Lord when I will raise up for David a righteous branch and he shall reign as king and deal wisely and she'll execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days, Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely and this is the name by which he will be called. The Lord is our righteousness. Now, given what the people had seen of Jesus and heard of Jesus. They believe that the day of David's righteous branch had now come at the Passover festival. As that festival drew near, the people flocked to him, especially after hearing that he had raised a man four days dead in the grave versus 17 to 18. Now, Also, just so you can get the scene here in your minds, it's estimated that hundreds of thousands of people would have descended upon the city of Jerusalem for Passover festival. Hundreds of thousands of people. And of course, we shouldn't necessarily imagine that every single person went out to meet with Jesus on his way into Jerusalem, but it would be reasonable to assume, I think, that there were tens of thousands of people who entered into the city with Jesus. The roar of the crowd would have been deafening. Hosanna blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Even the king of Israel would have thundered forth. And as Jesus sits upon a donkey and rides into the city, he fulfills the prophetic word. It's like a Ryan nine nine 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, on the fowl of a donkey. Now it is interesting, isn't it, just to kind of talk about this a little bit, that John tells us that the disciples didn't really fully understand all that was going on at this moment. Or at least they didn't fully understand the significance of it all. They didn't understand that Jesus was coming as a humble king, that he was coming to his people as a prince of peace. But despite that, they did know that Jesus was coming as a king and the crowds were proclaiming him as king. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Even the king of Israel is what they proclaim and shout. And whether or not they connected all the dots with Zechariah 9-9 or quite fully understood Zechariah 9-9, they did nonetheless recognize and understand Jesus' action. When Jesus took a donkey and he sat upon it and he rode into Jerusalem, they knew that he was proclaiming by his action to be king. The Davidic king riding on a donkey has precedent in the Old Testament. Solomon rode on David's donkey. to his coronation as king. And donkeys are elsewhere identified as royal beasts in the Old Testament. It's funny, isn't it? To think of it, donkeys of all beasts associated with royalty and kingship, but that's the case. So then it's important for us to understand that it's not so much Jesus riding on a donkey that magnifies his humility. Kings often rode on donkeys. Now, what magnifies his humility is his character and his mission as king and a prince of peace. Jesus comes to Jerusalem not as a great warrior king, but he comes as a humble king. Jesus comes to his people as a humble prince of peace, bringing with him, in the words of Zachariah, salvation and righteousness. But he comes as one who is gentle and humble of heart. Jesus is the humble king because he comes speaking peace, not war and bloodshed, but peace. And he is the king who has come to serve, to give his life as a ransom for the many. The word of God became flesh. to then offer up that flesh as a propitiation for sin. You see, many people say they don't believe in God. Don't they nowadays? Many people say they don't believe in God. But ask them, who is this God you don't believe in? Describe this God to me. And you see what will most often happen, or likely happen, is that many unbelieving people will describe to you a God who is needy. A God who is self-serving, a God who is all take, take, take. A God who is little more than a tyrannical killjoy and a God who is gleefully looking for every and any opportunity to judge you and to crush you. If a person describes such a God to you, you should say to them, well, as a Christian, I don't believe in that God either. Of course, what they've done to you is give you a far better description of the devil than they have given you of God. And God is not needy. God is life and fullness of being. God needs nothing from us. God lacks nothing. And God is not a taker, but a giver. God is not take, take, take, but give, give, give. And God is not a kill joy, but the giver of joy. God is eternally and unchangeably happy and desires that his people flourish in the light and the radiance of his own goodness and love. And yes, we should say God is just and holy, and God will bring justice and judgment upon all evil. But God says in Ezekiel 33 verse 11, as I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. You want to know what God is like? Behold him here riding on a donkey, riding to Jerusalem to serve and to save his enemies, to love the unlovely. He comes to bring salvation and he comes to bring peace to an ungrateful and rebellious world. That is what God is like. To quote Augustine, Jesus' kingship over Israel was not for the purpose of exacting tribute, of putting swords into the hands of soldiers, or of subduing his enemies by open warfare. No, Jesus' kingship is here one of self-sacrifice, humility, and of abounding love and grace to sinners. The Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus is a humble king. But while Jesus is indeed humble, he nonetheless is a triumphant, conquering, victorious king. The second point, Jesus is the victorious king. So when then does Jesus publicly and decisively reveal himself as Messiah? When does he do this? At what festival? The Passover festival. You think there's any significance to that? Well, what does the Passover commemorate? God's deliverance of his people from Egypt. Of his delivering his people from Egyptian slavery and oppression. A pharaoh's armies were defeated and God set his people free. A Passover was a celebration of deliverance. of freedom from bondage. And again, what is the historical context of this text? What is happening to the people of Israel at this time? Well, they are a people again in bondage, bondage to the power of Rome, and they longed for liberation. They longed to be delivered from their captivity. And this crowd, they believe that Jesus is their man. They believe that Jesus is their deliverer. And so what do they do? They spread palm branches before him. And they cry out, Hosanna, a shout of praise to God, which literally means something like, save us, or save us, we pray. And those palm branches were an emblem or a symbol of victory and of peace. And what's more, this is just an interesting note, This scene is all very reminiscent of something that had happened in the history between the two testaments. When Simon Maccabee entered Jerusalem to cleanse the temple after defeating the Syrians. This isn't scripture. It's not inspired what I'm about to read, but it's interesting history. First Maccabees 1351 reads, the Jews entered Jerusalem with praise and palm branches and with harps and symbols and stringed instruments. with hymns and songs because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel. The crowd surrounding Jesus clearly expected, anticipated, believed that Jesus was to be someone like Simon Maccabee, a great warrior and liberator. And at this time of the Passover, they believed that Jesus himself would liberate them from Roman oppression. Defeat the armies of Caesar and sit upon the throne of David and rule righteously forever. That was their hope. That's what they hoped would happen as they are singing hosannas to God. But they were dead wrong. They were dead wrong. Jesus did not come to accomplish those things. He didn't come to do those things. Jesus came to do something far, far greater. Jesus came to do something far more wonderful. Jesus came to defeat the powers of darkness, to destroy the works of the devil, to break the yoke of sin, to bring full and final forgiveness of sins to his people, to abolish death. Jesus' victory is won over sin and Satan and death. And in the gospel, he redeems and reconciles the people to God. Yes, Jesus is an almighty, victorious, conquering king, but his victory is won in humility, in weakness, in him giving himself at the cross, and in the glory of his resurrection. And just a brief word of application about verse 15. I wanted to say far more about this, but I had to Narrow it down, but I think there's a great encouragement here for us. What are the first two words of verse 15? The first two words, can you see them? Fear not. Fear not, daughter of Zion. Behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt. We need to understand that Jesus is a strong deliverer. In the imagery of Revelation 5, he is the Lion of Judah. but who is also the lamb that was slain for sin. This humble king, this victorious king has defeated our enemies. He has done it. It is finished. Jesus said the flesh, the world and the devil are defeated. And in Christ we are fully and eternally forgiven our sins and we have peace with God through the blood of his cross. And Jesus, as he tells us in revelation chapter one, has the keys to death and Hades. He died, but he is alive forevermore. He has overcome the grave. Therefore, and to kind of quote from Psalm 46, Jesus is our refuge and strength and ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake at its surging. Even if all creation were to become undone, we will not fear because Jesus is king and he has the victory. We are all tempted to be fearful, but remember Jesus has us in the very palm of his hand. Fear not, daughter of Zion, your king has come and he has the victory. So then Jesus is a humble king and Jesus is a victorious king. But he is also a rejected king, our third point. Jesus is a rejected king. It may seem here in this text as though Jesus is welcomed, Jesus is received into the city as Messiah and Savior. It may seem that way. But as we've just considered, this great crowd that was rejoicing and proclaiming and celebrating Jesus to be the king, they didn't understand his identity. They didn't understand his mission. They did not understand how the promises of God would be fulfilled. Yes, Jesus riding into Jerusalem as a conquering triumphant king, he's doing that. But the crowds were clueless as to the kind of conquering King Jesus would be. And so many people, they would soon become disillusioned with Jesus. They would soon turn their backs upon him. And many of them would soon be crying out for his execution, for his crucifixion, for his destruction. And look again at verse 19. How do the religious leaders of Jerusalem, the chief priests and the Pharisees, how do they respond? How do they react to Jesus coming as king? Do they rejoice? No. They despair. They see the crowd following after Jesus and going out to Jesus and they say to one another, See, this is getting us nowhere. The whole world has gone out to him. They are frustrated. They're angry. They're embittered. You see, because they haven't succeeded in shutting Jesus down. And now it seems to them as though the whole nation has gone out to him. Now, it's important for us to remember the significance of Jerusalem. It's important for us to remember the significance of Jesus rejected in Jerusalem. And here's the beginning of Psalm 48. You don't need to turn now, just read the first two verses. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth. Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the great king. the city of the great King. Jerusalem is this city, the city of the great King. And it's here. It's at this moment that the great King has come to his city and yet he will be rejected by Jerusalem. He is already rejected by the leaders of the city and he will be rejected by its people. Now a question for you, in Psalm 48, is the great king of Jerusalem, is he God? Or is he the Messiah? Is he God or is he the Messiah? As we kind of go through the scriptures, I think we kind of understand that he's both, right? The great king is both God and the son of David. The prophets of Israel had promised the people that God was coming to them. They were anticipating a day where God would come. to redeem his people. God would personally come, visibly come, to bring blessing and judgment to the nations, to the world. But the prophets of Israel had also promised that the Messiah, the son of David, was coming. And the Messiah would bring justice and peace and righteousness to the world. The Messiah would destroy and subdue Israel's enemies, and the Messiah would rule forever. And what the people of Israel did not understand though, was that God and the Messiah would be one in the same person. The people of Israel did not foresee the glory of the incarnation. And how could they really? It was beyond their comprehension. The word become flesh. Jesus is the God man. The second person of the Trinity God, the son, taking upon himself a human nature so that God has become incarnate. And Jesus is truly God and truly man, Lord and Messiah, God and the Son of David. And as the chief priests, the Pharisees, and the people of Israel reject Jesus, they reject both, their long-awaited Messiah, and they reject their God. They despise and reject both the Lord and his anointed. And as John writes at the beginning of his gospel, the true light which gives light to everyone was coming into the world and he was in the world and the world was made through him. Yet the world did not know him. He came to his own and his own people did not receive him. In Luke's account of the triumphal entry, were told that there were some Pharisees among the chanting crowd and they challenged Jesus. They said to him, teacher, rebuke your disciples. And what did Jesus say in return? I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out. And then Luke tells us this. As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and your children within your walls. They will not leave one stone upon another because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you. You see, despite the joy of the crowd, despite the celebration, Jesus rides into Jerusalem weeping. So there are the crowds rejoicing and there is Jesus weeping. Those in Jerusalem did not recognize that God was coming to them. They did not welcome him, worship him, love him. Instead, they reject him and they despise him. And because they reject him, Jesus proclaims and prophesies judgment upon the city. And sure enough, the Romans would laid siege to Jerusalem and destroy the temple in 70 AD and not one stone was left upon another. It is a tragedy. These are heartbreaking words, especially when Jesus says, If you even you had only known on this day what would bring you peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes. When people reject Jesus, it is a tragedy. They reject the prince of peace. They reject the one name under heaven given among men by which we might be saved. If only they knew the peace and the joy that is freely offered to them in Christ. but it is hidden from their eyes. The theologian John Webster once said, and I kind of paraphrase this, but the unbelievers' problem is not so much that they are spiritually blind, their real problem is that they believe they can see. Many people reject the rule of Christ because they are not willing to give up their sin. They believe that their sin is far more precious to them, far more valuable. Many people choose to live for simple, sinful, fleeting pleasures forsaking eternal life and forsaking the knowledge of the very goodness and peace of God. And Jesus says in John's gospel that if anyone sins, he is a slave to sin. None of us are truly a law unto ourselves. None of us are truly autonomous beings in that sense. None of us are truly free. You are either a slave to sin or a servant. a righteousness, and there is no middle ground. So I ask you, please ask yourself, who or what are you living for? Whatever it is that you desire most in life, spend your time pursuing and otherwise give yourself to, that is what you serve. And if it is not God, it is an idol, and that idol will destroy you. What is ruling over your heart? See, only in Christ is a person truly free. Only in bowing the knee to Jesus can a person have peace. Only in submitting ourselves to his rule and reign can we actually be truly happy, despite the promises of sin and what sin tells us. Now, if a person receives Christ, they must receive the whole Christ, the true Christ. You cannot receive Jesus, for instance, as prophet and priest without also receiving him as king. And many people would have Christ as their savior, but will not have him as their king. Many people would gladly, yes, receive the forgiveness of Christ, the forgiveness of their sins, but they will not submit themselves to the commandments of Christ. And many people are quite happy to speak of their love for God, their love for Jesus. but do not delight themselves in the rule of Christ. You see, you cannot receive Jesus as Savior without bowing your knee before him as King. You cannot abide in his love without keeping his commandments. As Jesus says in John 15, abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. And his commandments, they are not burdensome. His commandments, they are good. If you follow him, if we obey him, we will flourish, we will be at peace, and we will have rest for our souls. Jesus is a good king, a humble king, a king of peace and a king of mercy, a king victorious over darkness and over death, and a king who desires that his people flourish and be filled with joy. He protects his people from evil, and he rules over their hearts with truth and with grace. Let us not reject and despise this king. To reject Jesus as king is the way of death, and to receive him is the way of life. John writes just in his first letter that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his son. And who has the son has life, He who does not have the Son of God does not have life. Now I want to briefly conclude by reminding us that Jesus is our returning King. Jesus is the returning King. In Zechariah 9, 9 we're told that your King is coming. And friends, your King, our King is coming. He is coming again. we await the return of the King. And we're awaiting a triumphal entry of Jesus that is far greater than the one we've been looking at today in John chapter 12. Jesus has promised to return and every eye will see him and every knee will bow before him and every tongue confess him to be Lord Jesus. Yes, he will return in triumph. And this triumphal entry of Jesus will be not into Jerusalem, but into all the world. And Jesus this time will not be riding on a donkey. Did you catch what we read together in Revelation 19? I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse, writes John. The one sitting on it is faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems. And he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe, dripped in blood. And the name by which he is called is the Word of God. And the armies of heaven arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. And from his mouth came a sharp sword by which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written, King of Kings, Lord of Lords. Yes, Jesus is a humble king, but he is also a consuming fire, as C.S. Lewis would put it. Aslan is not a tame lion. But we must lovingly warn people, mustn't we, of this judgment to come. We must encourage people to make peace with Christ before his triumphal entry into all the world. But let us also be encouraged this morning. As we look out into the world, we see that there is great evil. All you need to do is turn on the news, how discouraging that is. But there is a day of justice, a day of righteousness. The judgment of God is not something to be scared of for Christians, it's something to be encouraged about. Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming to judge all evil, to do away with it, and to make all things new. These words from Revelation 19 should encourage us. They remind us that evil will not prevail. Good and the glory of God will triumph. Your king is coming. Coming is judge of all the world, but fear not daughter of Zion. Your king is coming and he is coming to make all things new. Let's pray together. Father, we are struck by the humility of Christ. We cannot truly comprehend the love that you have revealed in him of his giving himself for us to save us from our sins. Father, we thank you that you have saved us, that you have reconciled us to yourself through that King who is humble of heart, the one who has the victory over our greatest enemies, that in him we have full and final forgiveness of our sins, that we have peace with you. We thank you that Jesus came into the world proclaiming peace. We thank you that he came full of grace and full of truth. We thank you also, though, for the reminder that he is coming again. to fill the world with his glory and to judge the living and the dead, to bring an end to all rebellion, to bring an end to all violence, wickedness, deceit, and evil, that he is coming to make all things new. And we look forward as your people to dwelling with you, our God, in a new creation, a land of peace, a land of glory, where we might worship you and enjoy you forever, our God. We thank you and we praise you that our King is coming again. And come, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.