Good morning, church family. While this is certainly strange, I’m glad we have some way of communicating, and I pray that this message would be a blessing to you this morning, praying for you and praying that this all would pass and we would be able to meet soon. So, just with Easter being next Sunday, I’d like to take this week and just reflect on what happened in the Gospel account of Matthew the week before Jesus went to the cross. Most people call it Palm Sunday. And so we’re just going to spend some time there and sort of explore the Scriptures and what it has to say. And so let’s just jump right in. And so if you have your Bible this morning, turn to Matthew 21, and we’ll be in verses 1 through 11. So let me pray for us, and then we’ll read the Word.

Lord, we look to you this morning, and we know that you’re in the heavens, and you’re above all. Nothing is outside of your reach. Nothing is outside of your rule. Nothing is outside of your control. And so we just worship you this morning as Sovereign Lord, as God Almighty, and yet you care for us, and you’re concerned and involved in the smallest details of our lives, Lord. You count the hairs on our head. And so we rest in the fact that you are there. You are our Father, and we can come to you. So, Lord, I just pray that your will would be done this morning in our hearts, in our church, around the world, Lord. We just know that you’re accomplishing something, your will, your plan. And so, Lord, may we be vessels and instruments in supporting that. And so just use us, Lord, however you see fit. Lord, we just ask that you would meet with us now. We ask that you would speak to our hearts, that your spirit would be stirring us and moving us. Lord, that you would reveal the truth of your word, of your scripture to us, Lord. I pray that you would just strengthen us and equip us to continue the race, Lord, to accomplish the mission. To be faithful to our calling in Jesus Christ, your Son, that you gave to us, Lord, so graciously. To be our Redeemer, to be the propitiation for our sins. Lord, to give us life that we do not deserve. But because you love us, Lord, because you’re gracious, you’ve chosen to do that. And so we just rejoice in that fact this morning, Lord. We thank you for your word that you’ve preserved for us through time, Lord, that you’ve revealed yourself to us in. Just ask that you would meet with us now, Lord. So Matthew 21, verses 1 through 11. Let’s read it.

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphiae, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord needs them, and he will send them at once. This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees, and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, Who is this? And the crowd said, This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee. Now let me first say, It’s not some wild hair that Jesus got to send his disciples on a mission to find a donkey for him to make his entry into Jerusalem. You know, let me rent a Ford Pinto or something like that and make my way into town as the festivities begin. Jesus is not trying to be a hipster, impressing the boys, trying to win the Keep Austin Weird trophy. That would have been absurd and ridiculous. No. What’s going on here, as Matthew records, is a fulfillment of what was spoken through the prophet Zechariah. Not an insignificant detail in the least. No, but as promised, the King has come. Let’s explore what it is that the Lord gave to Zechariah. Back in 587 B.C., roughly, Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem for the third time, utterly destroyed the temple, burned the city, and plundered everything. This is the start of a 70-year period of exile, as prophesied for the people of Israel. Fast forward toward the end of that, the Jews, now under Persian rule, received permission from Cyrus to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. After the foundation was laid, they met opposition, and they were forced to put the construction on hold until the second year of Darius, who found Cyrus’ decree and gave the go-ahead to resume construction. It is here that Zechariah comes onto the scene to proclaim the word of the Lord to his people.

As he calls for repentance, receives visions of comfort and compassion for God’s people, encouraging them to press on in their work, giving instruction for his contemporaries, namely Joshua the priest, and Zerubbabel the governor, to carry out their offices, the temple is rebuilt. Yet these are but the shadow of a far superior figure who would come. Joshua wasn’t the substance of the priest that Zechariah prophesied of. Zerubbabel isn’t the overseer that Zechariah spoke about. Furthermore, the work of the temple construction was only a type in and of itself of a much greater work that would be accomplished, one built not by the power of human hands. It’s believed that the latter has been the cause of the destruction of the temple, and that half of the book of Zechariah was written after the completion of the temple. So it did then stir up excitement and anticipation, and it should do the same for us now, as it lifted up their eyes in eager expectation of the one that was and is the substance of the prophetic word, Jesus Christ, and the work that he would accomplish. Turn with me. Turn with me in your Bibles to Zechariah chapter 9. Zechariah will be the second to last book in the Old Testament, right before Malachi. Zechariah chapter 9.

And in verse 9, it reads, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you. Rejoice. Shout, you people of God. Your king is coming. This certainly wasn’t the first promise of a coming king. God had made that promise long before. The psalmist said it, Psalm 132. The Lord swore to David, a sure oath, from which he will not turn back. One of the sons of your body, I will set on your throne. Isaiah said it, in chapter 6, in that wonderful passage of the son being given.

And the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end. On the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice, and with righteousness, from this time forth and forevermore. So see the grace of God, and yet again, rekindling his people’s hope with yet another unshakable promise of the king that was his. is to come. But remember the time period that this promise in particular came, a solid 500 years before the fulfillment of it. Let’s be honest, we live in a time where we can’t wait 500 seconds for almost anything. 500 years! Yet, by the grace of God, this song is learned well and sung often by those who, by faith, saw it from afar and knew it would come. But imagine this. The prophecy comes. 50 years passes. Behold, your king is coming. A hundred years passes. Rejoice, daughter of Zion, your king is coming. 200 years. 300. 400. 500 years. And yet, the king has come, right on time. God is not slow to fulfill his promises as we count slowness. God has a purpose, a plan, and he’ll execute it perfectly in his own timing. We’re often forced to wait on God, and in most times, it’s painful. Sometimes, the thing that we are longing for is good. It’s a much-needed thing. But for reasons unknown to us, they do not come when we would like or need them to. When you find yourself in such a season, throw yourself into the arms of the Lord. For he has said that he cares for you, and he’ll provide your every need, from great to small. And for those who love him, they come at the right time. They come for your good. Learn well those promises that he’s spoken in his word to his children. For they’re all yes and amen in Christ. Sing a sweet song in your heart with them. Go further and set them to melody in your home. And we all, his church, have something wonderful to lift our eyes up to and long for. Something we can be sure will come, because he said it will. So rejoice, children bought by the blood of the Lamb. Shout for joy, you wretches, who’ve been given garments to sit at the king’s table. Behold, your king is coming back. It may be five days, fifty years, a hundred years, five hundred years. But see it from afar with eyes of faith and know that King Jesus will come again, right on time. Right on time. Now if you’re convinced of God’s faithfulness in keeping his promise, and believe that the king has come, now we can marvel in who that long-awaited king is. Just what type of king might he be? Let’s read what the prophet says, Zechariah 9, Righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Our king has come as a remedy for tyranny. The people of Judah had just relearned full well what tyranny the kings of the earth bring. Nebuchadnezzar ruined their entire known world. He destroyed their means of worship and brought to ashes their homes and their livelihoods. We know that Pharaoh enslaved Israel for hundreds of years, and Israel herself having a line of her own unfit kings. Tyranny runs rampant in the kingdoms of fallen man. It’s a natural thing for it to do so. The heart of man is exceedingly wicked. And we all know well, the cruelest and the most oppressive of all, that old slave master, Sin. Who’s going to deliver us from these tyrants? Who’s going to mount up and ride on in victory over our greatest enemies? Who’s going to usher in hope where there seems to be none? Why should we even press forward? Why should we continue? Why should we ever believe that this kingdom could be established where we can all dwell in safety and peace? Where can I find someone fit to be the righteous, saving, humble king that Zechariah prophesied? Tell me. Tell me where. Who’s righteous? There is none righteous. You may find relatively good kings. You may find relatively good kings. You may find relatively good kings who did love and serve the Lord. Take King David, for example. But even so, he did not possess in himself righteousness as the prophecy foretold. Who possesses salvation? Again, even King David in all of his power and splendor and might said that the Lord was his light and salvation. Psalm 27.1. Salvation is of the Lord exclusively. And the coming king was to be endowed with it, possessing it in himself. And humble. Now don’t take this word in a negative light, or even in a sense that’s good, like a gentle or a lowly characteristic. Though it certainly includes that, but that sells it short and it doesn’t hit the heart of any king. The point here is that the coming king will not rely on the worldly means of advancing on opposing kingdoms. He will not depend on an army 10,000 strong, equipped with chariots and warhorses, shedding the blood of his enemies to bring about submission. There will be no need for such things. And Zechariah paints this picture for us with the imagery of this king coming to Zion, mounted on a donkey. How are you going to accomplish anything to do with building an empire in this bloodthirsty world with a strategy like that? I’ll tell you.

Jesus directed his disciples to go into the wilderness. He went to a village to borrow a donkey. He made his kingly entrance into Jerusalem on a beast of burden, humble, righteous, and possessing the salvation of his people. The king has no need for the battle skills of man, for he builds his kingdom not by power, not by might, but by the Spirit of God. You can peruse and dig and search high and low the history books from the time of Adam until now. And I assure you that you will find no one fitting the description given here by Zechariah save Jesus Christ, the righteous. Jesus Christ, the Savior. Jesus Christ, the humble one. God’s word. His promise. Jesus fulfilled that day. As those who saw and believed welcomed their long-awaited Messiah, singing the psalmist’s cry, Save us! Save us! Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest! Jesus revealed himself as king that day, knowing full well the first crown he would wear would be one of twisted thorns. Only to be used to mock him as the king of the Jews. Before being clothed in his robe of majesty, he would be stripped naked and beat, spat on. Before he sat upon his rightful throne in the heavens, he would first hang on a cross and with him, no, in him, all of the sins of his life, all of his people.

There is no deliverance from tyranny unless the one who is righteous and endowed with salvation would by the power of God deliver. Believe in that gospel truth and you will be delivered. Not to spoil next week’s sermon, but Jesus’ reign did not end with his death on the cross. But it burst out to the ends of the earth when he, being raised by the power of God, walked out of the tomb to live forevermore. Our king has come to reign in totality. Jesus sits as king today. Jesus will sit as king tomorrow. He’s ruling and he’s reigning, subduing his enemies until they are all put underneath his feet. There will be no town on the face of the earth that won’t be subject to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will do away with all enemies, the last of which being death, a comprehensive rule. Coronavirus has no authority over our Christ. The Chinese Communist Party has no say over our Lord. The American political party has no say over our Lord. The American political parties and powers that be have no dominion over our Savior. The world powers in an alliance together set against our promised king have no chance at overthrowing his rule. To be sure, Satan himself and all of his armies will be struck down and punished under the command of our God. So don’t fear. Do not be afraid. Though it may seem that at times the powers of darkness are not the same, have gained much ground, we know whose kingdom it is that we dwell in and we have a sure word to hold on to. That word is Jesus Christ. The first coming and establishment as king was fulfilled on a donkey. But there is another. The second coming of the Lord will be on a war horse with a sword to do away with all enemies and tyrants. And to present the finished kingdom to God our Father. Jesus reigns. King Jesus will forever reign in totality.

Look back in Matthew 21 with me. Verses 10 and 11. And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, Who is this? And the crowd said, This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee. Who is this? I’m so glad you asked. Let me tell you, please. Do you have a moment? Sit down. I would love to explain to you. Friends, our king has come. Let the people know. Let the people know who he is. What he’s done. There’s a great stir. There’s a great stir. There’s a great stir right now. The people are asking, Who is this? What do they say? They say the prophet Jesus from Nazareth. Now, it’s true in part, but Jesus is not merely a prophet from Nazareth. The truth is that this is Jesus, the prophet, the priest, and the king. And he came from heaven’s throne. I’d like to share one more passage from Zechariah with you. In chapter 6,

Zechariah receives a vision and he says this, And say to him, Thus says the Lord of hosts, Behold, the man whose name is the branch, for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor. And shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne. And the council of peace shall be between them both.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus came down from heaven to build his temple. He is the one who is building it. He is both the sacrifice for sin and the one who presents it. He is the high priest. And he sits on the throne as king. Only Jesus can unite these offices in peace. Only Jesus can bear and fulfill these offices. Friends, as we look at the world around us, it is madness. It is chaos. It is uncertainty. It is uncertainty. It is scary. If we take an honest look, we’ll see many with no hope. Under the tyranny of sin, worldly rulers, worldly powers, worldly mentalities, and without the right answer to who is this, I want to encourage you to take part in building the kingdom. Amen. Amen. Amen. Our king has come. And he will come again. At the right time. As a remedy to tyranny. Reigning in totality. So rejoice and let the people know. I hope you have a blessed Lord’s day. I hope you have a day filled with rest. As you sit and know, believe, and just throw yourself on the fact that Jesus is the promised king. He has come. And he is ruling right now. Not only is he king, he is priest, he is prophet, and he is over all. And his rule have no end. Trust him. Trust him. You trust him, you trust him with your soul. Trust him with your finances. Trust him with your friendships. Trust him with your family. Trust him with everything that you are.

Submit yourself to his authority. Take part in building his kingdom.

And just rejoice.

Lord Jesus, I thank you that you have established your kingdom. It’s at hand. It’s now. You’ve redeemed us. We were your enemies, Lord. But you’ve made us new. You’ve recreated us to sit under your rule, your authority. Lord, we thank you that you humbled yourself. Came down from heaven, put on flesh. And you walked this dusty earth. And you gave your righteousness, your life up on a cross. You bore in your body our sins.

Completely satisfied. the wrath of God against us thank you Lord Jesus justice and mercy displayed on the cross thank you thank you that you’ve sent your spirit to dwell in us and to teach us to correct us and to rebuke us and to comfort us but until we can see you face to face and we long for that day Lord pray that you would just continue to give us grace to be patient wait on your appointed time Lord just to to know and believe

Lord we love you we thank you we pray that you would do a mighty work with our church pray that you would just have your way with us Lord we love you amen