Watch
Listen
Life after Death: Truly Triumphant (Palm Sunday)
Associate Pastor: Cole Parleir
What is Palm Sunday?
According to Crosswalk, “Palm Sunday was the first day of Holy Week leading up to the Jewish holiday of Passover. Jesus rode on a donkey through the town of Jerusalem on His way to conquer death and bring us life through His sacrifice on the cross.”
—Emma Danzey
What does God want to do for us at 2CC?
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:1-2 ESV
https://bible.com/59/rom.12.1-2.esv
God wants to renew our minds regarding what it means to be truly “obedient”, blessed”, and “triumphant”.
PRAY
Focus: When we embrace Jesus as the suffering Messiah, we too can be truly obedient, truly blessed and truly triumph over sin and death.
Truly Obedient
Truly Blessed
Truly Triumphant
God is going to do this as we focus on the account the Bible calls the ‘Triumphal Entry”.
Scriptures: Luke 19:28-48
“And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying,
“Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”
So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives— the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying,
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them,
“It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”
And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.”
Luke 19:28-48 ESV
https://bible.com/59/luk.19.28-48.esv
Truly Obedient
Obeying God’s Word is what it means to be truly obedient.
Obeying my idea or peer pressure of what it means to be godly is NOT true obedience.
We must know God’s Word to obey God’s Word.
As we read the account of Jesus entering into Jerusalem we see him obeying the commands of God as they had been written.
God had made his command for the promised Messiah known through the prophet Zechariah where we read:
“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, the foal of a donkey.”
Zechariah 9:9 ESV
https://bible.com/59/zec.9.9.esv
Jesus fulfilled this command in the obtainment and riding of the donkey colt.
Jesus could have chosen to enter Jerusalem in a much more convenient manner. Instead, he chose the inconvenient route of fulfilling the prophetic word spoken of God’s chosen Messiah.
Jesus did this to confirm his calling and identity as the Messiah by
TRULY obeying God’s Word rather than the expectation of the crowd.
Let’s talk about expectations.
Jesus already had a 3 year reputation as a miracle worker and preacher with rumors of his miraculous birth floating around I’m sure. Now he is fulfilling Messianic scripture ridding on a donkey into ‘The City of The Great King’.
Riding in a donkey meant different things to the crowd members. The Israelites looking for the Messiah would have recognized the donkey as fulfilled prophecy and grown in their faith.
They celebrated Jesus’ entry with palm branches signaling their expectation of a military deliverer from Roman occupation.
Yet they didn’t see the whole picture. God had such bigger plans!
Even though they didn’t see the whole picture they still laid down their branches and cloaks in an act of submission.
“Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.””
2 Kings 9:13 ESV
https://www.bible.com/59/2ki.9.13.esv
The Romans didn’t recognize what was happening because if they knew Jesus was being welcomed as king they would have intervened.
It was imperative for Jesus to truly obey God’s Word In order for God’s plan of saving us from sin and death to come to pass. If Jesus had compromised by taking up a sword and a war horse he may have mustered an army to overthrow Roman oppression for a while, but the sinful human heart would have still prevailed in the end.
You and I have visions and ideas of what it looks like for us to please and serve God.
The truth is that God has revealed what pleases Him in His Word, the Bible.
Jesus was confirming his God chosen identity as the Messiah through truly observing and fulfilling God’s Word concerning the Messiah.
In the same way you and I also confirm our calling as children of God as we truly obey God’s Word and rely on His promises.
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 1:3-11 ESV
https://www.bible.com/59/2pe.1.3-11.esv
As children of God we have a shared calling to a holy life here and now in preparation of the Kingdom.
Jesus has called his disciples to obey all He commanded and to teach others to obey his commands as well. This is our shared calling that confirms our shared salvation and entrance into God’s eternal kingdom.
Jesus had a unique calling as the Messiah that would save the world from sin and earth. You and I also have a unique calling to bring about God‘s purposes in the earth.
In order to bring about God‘s purposes that were prepared in advance for you to fulfill you must truly obey God‘s commands that are specific for your life and calling. Jesus has set you free from the power of sin so that you can walk with him.
When you choose to truly and fully obey God‘s commands you will know what it means to be truly blessed.
Truly Blessed
To be blessed is to be like God.
What do I mean? You and I were created in the image of God.
This is our destiny. This is why Jesus came. So that you and I could could be forgiven of our sins, reconciled to God, and empowered to walk in righteousness.
Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus is the righteous one. Jesus is the one whom God the Father says “with you I am well pleased”. Jesus is truly blessed. He is the one we are to obey and imitate as his disciples.
This is who Jesus calls blessed:
““Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:3-12 ESV
https://www.bible.com/59/mat.5.3-12.esv
Let me ask you: are you blessed? Do you want to be blessed?
Jesus exemplified all of these for us. To be his disciple is to share in his suffering so that the world may know his salvation.
To embrace this kind of blessing and suffering as we walk with Jesus is what it means to be truly triumphant.
Truly Triumphant
Why was Jesus’ entry ‘triumphant”?
Despite the amiss expectations of the crowd and even the disciples, he marched intentionally and adamantly toward the cross for the salvation of those who would believe in him later.
As the son of God Jesus had all authority over legions of angels.
He could have stopped the suffering and crucifixion at any moment. Instead, He chose to love us by becoming a sacrifice for us.
By loving us in this way he has truly triumphed over mankind‘s biggest enemy: sin and Satan.
He has truly triumphed over mankind‘s biggest fear: death.
This is why in the kingdom of God every tear will be wiped away.
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?”
2 Corinthians 2:14-16 ESV
https://www.bible.com/59/2co.2.14-16.esv
Will you except Jesus’ triumphant victory at the cross in your place today? If so please pray with me.
Second City Church - Associate Pastor: Cole Parleir 2021