Introduction: Today is "Palm Sunday." We call it that because of John 12:12-13 which speaks of palm branches. "The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" All four Gospels tell about this event. What does God want you and me to get out of this story, 2000 years later?
The Story of the Triumphal Entry does three things for us:
I. The Triumphal Entry shows us the faithfulness of God.
Old Testament scripture predicted this event.
Zec 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah prophesied between 520 and 460 BC. So he spoke these words 500 years before the birth of Christ. Yet they came true.
Isaiah, around 700 BC, prophesied something similar:
The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.'" They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the LORD..." Isaiah 62:11-12
The point is: We have a faithful God who keeps His promises. He promised to send a Savior, and He did it. He promises to watch over us, and love us forever, and He will. Rejoice in the faithfulness of God!
II. The Triumphal Entry highlights that we are living in the age of Grace.
Jesus came into the city riding on a colt. He came in a way that was humble and meek (as on our bulletin cover today). In His First Advent, Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. He came to bring the love of God. He came to bless, not to condemn.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
However, at His next coming to earth, the Second Advent, He will not come in humility and meekness. He will come as a ruthless, conquering warrior.
Rev 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.
Rev 19:13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
Rev 19:14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
Rev 19:15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
Rev 19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
In this age of grace, God is holding out His hand of kindness and salvation. He is patient, long-suffering, giving people chance after chance to repent and believe. He bids us send missionaries around the world, with to good news of the Gospel. But someday this age will come to an end, and then God will bring judgment on the world that rejects His love.
III. The Triumphal Entry illustrates the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.
"Doctrine" simply means the teachings of the Bible. God wants you to know about Him, about yourself, about salvation. He wants every Christian to know the doctrines of the Bible.
"Saints" are people who have been born again. Every true Christian is a saint, not just people like St. Peter and St. Paul. And the Church has no power to make a person into a saint. Every Christian is a saint, and every person who is truly a saint, will persevere in his/her faith. In simple words, if you are really a Christian, you will continue to believe in Christ the rest of your life. You won't fall away from the Faith.
Jesus taught this several different times. He said:
Mat 24:11 Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
Mat 24:12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
Mat 24:13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Mat 13:3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed.
Mat 13:4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Mat 13:5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
Mat 13:6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
Mat 13:7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
Mat 13:8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
Mat 13:9 He who has ears, let him hear."
Here in the story of the Triumphal Entry, we see that there was a very large multitude who accompanied Jesus' entry into the city, and who cried out "Hosanna, Hosanna." It was Passover season, and the population of the city has swollen. Also, people had heard about the raising of Lazarus from the death, and the rumors and talk about Jesus was flying all over the city.
Mat 21:8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
Mat 21:9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!"
Mat 21:10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"
Mat 21:11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."
This happened on Sunday. Five days later the crowd was chanting "Crucify Him! Crucify Him! ... Let His blood be on us, and on our children!" (Matthew 27:22-25)
How can people cry "Hosanna" on Sunday, and "Crucify Him" on Friday? The answer is in Jesus' parable of the seed and the sower. Three fourths of the seed, those who profess salvation, were actually lost. They were Christians in name only, but not in their hearts. Some fell by the wayside, some were in shallow soil with no roots, some were choked out by thorns. Only one fourth of the seed actually grew and produced fruit.
This is the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. There are many who make a profession of faith, but only a percentage of them have true saving faith, and are faithful for a lifetime. Anyone who has truly been born again will never fall away. He/she can never lose salvation.
Conclusion: The Triumphal Entry happened 2000 years ago, but it still does three things for us today:
May the Lord bless us, and fill us with His joy this Palm Sunday. Amen.