Shall we turn in our Bibles to John Chapter 12. I know we were expecting to start in the book of Joel, but that will come, Lord willing, in a couple of weeks. Next week being Easter Sunday, we'll be looking at passage from Luke. 24, and we'll be joining next week, Lord willing, with our brothers and sisters in Cornerstone for their first service. So that's 10 o'clock in the morning, and then we will join for our second service at 2.45 here, and they will join us for that. So let's come to the Word of God, John chapter 12, verses 12 through 16, and we will read these words together. Let's begin. The next day, a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him and cried out, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Then Jesus, when he had found a young donkey, sat on it as it was 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 were written about him and that they had done these things to him. May our good God bless his words to our hearts. Who is Jesus to you and how would you greet him? Brothers and sisters in the Lord, there's no question that the Jews were very happy. Happy to meet Jesus as he entered Jerusalem and they showed it by waving their palm branches and olive branches as well. And then they spread their clothing on the ground to cushion the hooves of the donkey on which he was riding. But those people were missing some very important things. They didn't really know who Jesus was, and they didn't know what he came to Jerusalem to do. And you will hear about this. So when you wave your palm branches, which will be your songs of praise to God, that you will understand exactly who Jesus is. and what he came to do. Our headings are three. The people saw Jesus as a great earthly king. Second, the Lord showed himself as a servant king. And then third, the disciples understood what Jesus meant. If you want an S word, then it will be surmised. They surmised what Jesus meant. So people saw him, the Lord showed himself to them, and then the disciples surmised or understood what Jesus meant. Our goals are that you will properly understand who Jesus is and what he came to do, and that you will then adore him and work for him. The people saw Jesus as a great earthly king, first point. Now all Jewish males were obligated to take a yearly trip to Jerusalem, to celebrate the Passover. So hundreds of thousands were usually there, and sometimes there were up to two, up even maybe three million people who would make that trek at special times. And these men would often go with their wives and their children. The Passover was a special celebration to remember how God had rescued the Jews from Egyptian slavery and took them to live in freedom and comforts in Canaan. Now many of these Jews who had come up for these feasts were in Jerusalem and they heard of Jesus and they thought he would be the Messiah. After all, he worked miracles, incredible miracles. He was afraid of no one, he was bold, he spoke the truth to anyone. He talked a lot about the kingdom, the kingdom of God coming. And many people were following him. So Jesus was much better than the kings that they had expected may have come in the past. And there's one time when Judas Maccabeus made a triumphant entrance into Jerusalem and they hoped that he would be the Messiah, but he failed. Maybe many of these people were hoping that Jesus would be the Messiah so they could return back to Israel. Remember, many of these people were coming from faraway lands. Maybe they wanted to come back to their home. Keeping in mind that Jerusalem at this time was a thriving metropolis. It was good for business. It was a wonderful place to be. So they longed for that. They also loved the glory of the days of Solomon, when they would read what happened a thousand years before, how the kingdom had expanded, how the nation was admired. They longed for that. And Jesus looked like the man who could do that. So they waved palm branches and olive branches, according to another account. Why palm branches? Well, palm branches were used as a sign of victory. Victory in war, or sometimes they would use them specifically to pay homage to the returning warriors and returning kings. Palm branches were also used in worship. And when there were a lot of palm branches around, it was a good sign because it meant that there would be lots of food. The dates from those palm trees could nourish people for years. They didn't spoil, they could be preserved for a long time. In fact, the Babylonians believed that there were 360 benefits from palm trees. And olive branches, that's even more obvious. Olive branches were used to signify victory. The Greeks were known for using that in their sports. When you won, you were given that. And palm branches made into shape of crowns. Olive trees also symbolize wealth. Because when you had a lot of olive trees, it meant you had a lot of oil. It meant you had medicines. It meant you had food. It meant you had wood. So waving olive branches and palm branches was good and appropriate thing to do. And as they waved the branches, they cried out. The people said, Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. And blessed is the kingdom of her father, David, in another account. Really a compiled response of what they said. Why would they say Hosanna? Well, Hosanna means save, I beg you. And then Hosanna in the highest suggests that they were praying to the highest one, to Yahweh, the one with the greatest power. And you can see the excitement of the people. God is going to save us through this man who's coming with all this power. And then they said, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, which really should better be translated, blessed is he that should come in the name of the Lord. Jesus was the one they were expecting. And in fact, they were quoting from Psalm 118. And when you see that phrase, the one who comes in the name of the Lord, they were speaking of the one who came with divine authority. That's the one who would be the Messiah. That's the one who would save the Jews. That's what they understood it to mean. The Messiah would be the ambassador, the one who came in the name and the authority of Yahweh. Look at Psalm 118 verse 24 and 26, and then we'll come to 25. Let's read together. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. Saved now, I pray, O Lord. O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. By the way, you see how that verse is often misused when people say, this is the day the Lord has made. He was speaking of the day of salvation. the day of salvation. And the salvation would be announced and accomplished by the messenger, the one who came in the name of the Lord. Every Jew was familiar with this phrase and they would sing it regularly and always at the Passover and at the Feast of the Tabernacles, which is also kind of interesting where they cut a lot of branches and made tents and lived outdoors to remember the provision of the Lord for them. Now while the people were doing this, they were unconsciously fulfilling the predictions of Psalm 118. They didn't really understand all the details. But this is really proof of the scriptures. Now as ambassador, Jesus came to bring the message of the Father. What was that? It was a message of peace. How peace could be restored between two warring parties. In the Jewish mind, the war was between Rome and Israel. But the real war was between God and man. And that's what Jesus came to preach. He preached that he had come to die for sinners who had broken the covenant. And when he had finished all, it was his purpose then to return. So blessed is he who came in the name of the Lord was in a way a sad thing for him, for he had to suffer and die for us. Look at Hebrews chapter one, verse three. Let's read together. who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high." The Jews then think of him as being this type of ambassador. They wanted a strong, physical king. In a way, they were more interested in their nationalism. It's all about us being stronger. The third thing they shouted was, blessed is the kingdom of our father David. That's from Mark. They believed Jesus was the Messiah and that the kingdom Jesus was inaugurating had divine approval. So it would be blessed by God. Now what's important is that the Jews would identify themselves as children of Abraham. And the one who would be the son of David was a title they looked that they used for the Messiah. And by calling Jesus the son of David, the Jews were officially accepting him and announcing him to be the Messiah. So they had the right actions, calling Jesus a king, but they were wrong in their understanding of the work of this king. As I mentioned earlier, the celebration of the waving of the palm branches and so on was really part of what we see prefigured in the Feast of the Tabernacles, which symbolized God's provision in the sustaining of his people. But that's what it was, as a symbol of God giving his people what they need so they could survive. Leviticus chapter 23 verse 40 says, together, and you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord. It's a reminder that the food will come and your soul and the bodies will live. When Jesus came, it was saying, your food has come, the bread of life has come, and your souls would live. What lessons can we learn then from this? What can we learn from this? There are a number of things I'd like you to consider. First of all, you have to understand the whole picture of the scriptures, so you won't be fooled like the Jews were, who thought that Jesus was going to be an earthly Messiah, whereas he came to die to make peace between God and man and be a spiritual king. You have to know the whole Bible. If you're only reading the New Testament, you're missing two thirds of the Bible. Second, Jesus came willingly. He came willingly into the world. Who will go? I will go. Send me. He came willingly to Jerusalem. When he was ready, he walked up. He told his disciples he was going there. He would be crucified and he would be raised again. And he willingly walked to the cross. That's the real Messiah. Third, You should have the same desire as David, who is believed to have written Psalm 118, that Christ will save those who are in darkness. And do the same as David. Tell it to the world. that Jesus will conquer. Remember Psalm 45, that beautiful psalm that pictures the bride that the Lord brings in, and then the hope for others to come in, as you see pictured in that wonderful book of Psalms of Solomon. And as you see in Isaiah 54, more would be the children of the barren woman than the children of the married woman. They all are able to come, and that's why we cry out, save us. That's why we share this message with others. And the fourth lesson is this, reject anyone who brings any other message than that for which Christ came. They are fake. Compare what they say to the Word of God, and if it conflicts with the Word of God, reject them. Jesus did not come to bring social justice. Jesus did not come to end socialism. Jesus did not come to end abusive capitalism. Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins. To redeem us. Oh, many of the problems we have in this world will be fixed when the heart problem is fixed. But that's why Jesus came. And then we come to our second point. You see that point fleshed out now. The Lord showed himself to be a servant king. They expected him to be this earthly king with all that power. Drive the Romans out and replace them with their own Jewish people. but the Lord showed himself to be a servant king. Jesus entered Jerusalem on a young donkey, just as it was prophesied. Let's read from Zechariah 9, verse 9 and 10 together. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you. He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey. a colt, the foal of a donkey. He shall speak peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth." The two things that are really remarkable there is that he will bring salvation and that his kingdom will spread. And how will that happen? Through His word, the gospel. Not by parliamentary laws, for you can't legislate morality and make people better by passing laws. Good laws simply maintain order so the gospel can be preached and spread. And note the word that he used there, his dominion shall be from sea to sea. That's a strong word. But why was Jesus riding a young, not even an experienced donkey, instead of a horse? That's what glorious kings ride on. You see the king riding on white horses, all decorated with pomp and ceremony. Donkeys were ridden in peacetime. Horses were used in war. So Jesus was showing himself not as a king going out to war, but a king who brings peace. It would have saddened the Lord Jesus to see that the Jews were hoping he would save them from Rome who had taken over their lands. And they were not hoping to be saved from their sins. And you see the condition of the hearts of these people. Because these same people who were crying, Lord, save us, when they realized that Jesus was going to die and he wasn't going to be the one to challenge Pilate and Rome and drive them out. The next week they were shouting, crucify him, crucify him. You see where their heart was. These were more nationalists. These weren't believers in the Lord Jesus. But there's an interesting thing that we notice here. Why were the people told not to fear? Seems like a strange expression. Fear not, daughter of Zion. Behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey. Well, John was saying that the people should not worry about Jesus being on a donkey, but rejoice that he was on a donkey. Jesus would accomplish what he came to do. He had no horse, but he was a conquering king. He was going to conquer sin and death and hell. Or as we would say, the devil, the world and our flesh. He indeed would be conquering. That's who the real Jesus was. He came to conquer spiritual enemies. Are there lessons we can learn from the second point? Absolutely. First of all, remember Jesus did not come to establish an earthly kingdom, but a spiritual one. Second, using the state of the Jews wanted to do to advance God's cause shows a lack of understanding of how Christ's kingdom will come. The state is to provide safety by punishing the wicked and protecting the godly, only that. Donald Trump can't advance Christianity. He can provide an environment, but it's only the preaching of the gospel. He's not the savior of the church. Jesus is. Third, the biggest enemy the Jews had was not the crushing of the Romans, but the crushing of sin. And the crushing of sin would only be remedied or accomplished by crucifixion on the cruel cross. You see, the reality is the Jews were no better than the Romans. And there were times when the Jews did extremely wicked things. Reading the course of Jewish history, you would see kings sacrifice their own children, throwing them in the fire and in the rivers to be eaten. They were no better. They had killed innocent people. You know what they really needed was not to be saved from the Romans. They needed to be saved from themselves. because their sin was so great. And today we don't need to be saved from Marxism and evolutionism and abuse of capitalism. We need to be saved from our sins. That's our greatest enemy. And this is the Jesus you must meet. This is a suffering savior who conquered Satan and will conquer the world. And nothing can destroy his people and his kingdom. I mean, Israel's greatest king, King Solomon, he just took his son to come and destroy almost everything he had worked to accomplish. But the kingdom of Jesus Christ will continue from sea to sea. from Adam to the ends of the earth. But it's a spiritual kingdom, and we must get that right. Otherwise, we're meeting Jesus, but in the wrong way. And then we come to our third point. The disciples understood what Jesus meant, or they surmised what he meant. Some saw him as the earthly king. He says, no, I am here to serve. I'm here to die for the sins of the world, not to drive the Romans out. I'm the servant king. But the disciples for a long time didn't do so, didn't understand until much later. They had the same wrong view of the people. They had the same expectation. And you see that when the mother asked of two of the disciples, could one have the right place and the left place in your kingdom? They expected an earthly kingdom. Look at John chapter 12, verse 34 and 36. Let's read together. The people answered him, we have heard from the law that Christ remains forever. And how can you say the son of man must be lifted up? Who is this son of man? While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of light. These things Jesus spoke and departed and was hidden from them. They didn't understand. They were thinking, look, the Bible says that the Messiah will come and his kingdom will remain forever. So obviously that's a literal physical kingdom. What are you talking about being lifted up? That means on the cross. What do you talk about being crucified? Even after the Lord's resurrection, The disciples were still hoping for a military physical kingdom. And you see this, if you look at Acts 1, verse 6, let's read this verse together. Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel? They're still hoping just before he goes back to heaven. You see, the palm branches proved who Jesus was because it was a fulfillment of prophecy. But many people, including many of Jesus' own disciples, did not get it. If they had only listened to people like Simeon in the temple when Jesus was taken there as a baby, when he talked about the salvation of God's people, they would have not made the same mistake. And yet while Jesus was not coming on earth at that time to establish an earthly kingdom, yet there will come a time when all of God's people will then be able to wave palm branches, when the kingdom does expand, and when the Lord does conquer the nations. Revelation chapter seven, verse nine. Let's read this verse together. After these things, I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with right robes and palm branches in their hands." Victory to the true King, the spiritual King. This is what God promised to Abraham in Genesis 17. In you all the nations of the earth will be blessed. That's why there's celebration. Not just the Jewish people, but all kinds of people. And then note the last phrase of the final verse, 16. Or the second to last, and they remembered that these things were written about him and that they had done these things to him. They remembered that Jesus had gotten on the young donkey instead of a horse. Ah, that means he's probably not this physical conquering king. After all, not on a donkey. But they remembered the way the people were treating him. And when he talked to them, it's like, oh. And then there was more. After the Lord went back into heaven, they started to reflect on these things. Then they heard what the angels came down and said, you know that Jesus, the same way you saw him going up, he's going to come back again, like he said. And they understood. that Jesus indeed was going to conquer the world, but through the preaching of the gospel. After all, what was the last thing Jesus said to his disciples? All authority has been given to me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Conquer them with the truth of the gospel, so they will surrender to him. He had come to die to establish a spiritual kingdom throughout the entire world, not just in Israel. There are a couple of things to remember here for lessons on this third point. The greatness of Israel's new spiritual, all-powerful resurrected King would have removed the cause, all cause for fear from his disciples. You notice that's when they really got bold. Even when Jesus was in the garden, they ran away. When he was on the cross, they disappeared. When he was in the tomb, they were shaking in fear and hiding. But then the resurrection came, and he went back into heaven. And what was the result? They became bold. They were ready to go and die for the sake of the gospel. Remember Peter, before, I don't even know this man, he starts swearing. Cursing. And then suddenly, they were emboldened. They had no more reason to fear. The Lord Jesus said, I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there, you may be also. Now go, go and make disciples. And you know, when your work is done, he will call you home. Your job now is to spread that good news without fear. It doesn't matter if people mock you. They might say you're superstitious. Your university students, they'll mock you and say you are unscientific. How do you hold to those weird things in these modern times? That's a good time to talk to them about who really is in control when you see people are scared of some tiny thing they can't even see, called the coronavirus. Show them the power of God. Show them why you can live without fear. Because you believe in the dead, buried, resurrected, ascended, and coming again, Lord. But there's also one more warning. Learn to ponder the Word of God so you're not easily fooled and make mistakes. Be students of the Word. Don't repeat things famous people say. Don't take it from any preacher without really checking it to make sure it is true, even from this pulpit. Remember, the disciples were with Jesus for quite some time, and they still didn't fully understand. It means you must never stop studying the word of God. Study it carefully, study it consistently. Remember, we all forget. And we need that reminder constantly, not just on Sunday, but for your families throughout the week, so they don't have a false idea. I've heard many people, I've heard politicians misuse the Scripture so badly, telling us about what Jesus came to do. They have no idea. Don't fall for that. Even preachers in the pulpits. Make sure you understand that Jesus came to save sinners. Let's conclude. The people met Jesus with palm and olive branches because they thought that he would physically save them and ascend to David's throne and restore Israel's power as they had in the past. But Jesus made it clear that he was a suffering servant who came to make peace between God and man, not between the Jews and Rome. It wasn't until after the resurrection and ascension that the disciples really understood that. Brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, do you see Jesus as a good example? Do you see Jesus as a strong God who can protect you from COVID-19? Do you see Jesus as the one who will give you food? I hope your answer is no. That's not how you should see Jesus. This is how you must see Jesus, as the suffering, sacrificial Lamb of God who was sent to die for the sins of the world. Does he control all those other things? Yes, surely he does. But his purpose was to save. That's why we still get sick and we still die. But not the soul. that He came to save, that will never die. So then how should you meet Him? Yes, we meet Him in adoration, but we are waving humility before Him. Our submission. You know, just like they took their clothes off and put them on the ground. That's submission. We come before Him and we worship Him. We do what He says. That's bowing the knee to Him because we see Him in the right way. as the one who came to suffer and die for sinners. And then we must serve him as well. How? We explain exactly who Jesus is to the world. Write the misconceptions. Jesus was not a military king. Jesus didn't come to spread morality. I heard a president say that. That the gospel was due unto others as you would have them do to you. That's not the gospel. That's a response when God has saved you and transformed your life and you're able to live better. But you want the world to know, understand that Jesus is the peacemaker between God and man, the only peacemaker. And finally, if you're not a Christian, know that the Lamb of God is the only means by which you can be saved from your sins. Or you could die in your sins and pay the price yourself. If you want Jesus' death to be counted as yours, ask God. He will hear and He will answer. Let us pray. Thank you, Heavenly Father, that you have given us your word to remind us again how we ought to properly view Jesus. That we will then, understanding who he is, then truly worship him as we ought to. That we will tell others, we will introduce them to the one who came to live and die for us, whose righteousness and holiness It's credited to our account that we will live victoriously. Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. May this message ring true, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.