I invite you to turn with me this morning to Luke 19, Luke chapter 19 as we read together verses 28 through 38, the focus for the sermon this morning being verses 29 to 36 and I assure you even though it may seem by some of the songs we've sung and the passage before us I do know what date it is, I know it's not Palm Sunday today but that's next week but And we prepare, you might say, for our Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We read together Luke chapter 19, beginning at verse 28, as we give our attention to the Word of God. After Jesus had said this, that is the previous parable, he went on ahead going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples saying to them, go to the village ahead of you. And as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, why are you untying it? Tell him, the Lord needs it. Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, why are you untying the colt? They replied, the Lord needs it. They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and put Jesus on it. As He went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When He came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen. Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. Dear people of God, we sing those familiar words, When He comes, our glorious King, all His ransomed home to bring, then anew this song we'll sing. Hallelujah. What a Savior. And what a difference to the visible eye that will be compared to when He came to make. that ransom we read in hebrews chapter 9 just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment so christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people and he will appear a second time not to bear sin but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him. What a difference between His first coming and His coming into Jerusalem that day and what His second coming will be. One to bear sin, the other to bring salvation to those waiting for Him. Beloved, we live in between, don't we? We live in between His first coming in humility to bear sin and His second coming, which we know will be in glory when every knee will bow before Him and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But even today, until He comes again, the chorus on our lips is and must be, Alleluia! What a Savior! Because we live as a ransomed people. Ransomed from Satan, sin, and eternal death by the blood Jesus shed on the cross and presented to God the Father as payment for our sins. And beloved, we cannot help but to be amazed as we consider the record of Scripture. Once again, this account is included in all four of the Gospels. And we cannot help but to be amazed as we consider that record of Scripture outlining our Savior's path to the cross. Jesus Himself makes it clear over and over again to His disciples that He came to die. and that through his death he would bring life to those who believe in him. Boys and girls, he knew. He knew what would take place when he entered Jerusalem for that last time. He knew that he would be treated as the prince of evildoers although he would first be declared by Pilate to be innocent. He knew, as he said in John 10, verses 17 and 18, The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. He knew that he would take it up again. He knew that he would be triumphant. And therefore, in this episode before us on that first Palm Sunday, we must see that Jesus was preparing to triumphantly enter death's door. triumph and death a contradiction to the world yes but to you and me no as those who live on this side of the cross we know that Jesus Christ we know that his coming his life his suffering his death resurrection and ascension we know that all of that is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy through and through all of scripture points to the Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel of salvation And this episode about the donkey colt is no different. You know the prophecy? Zechariah 9, verses 9 and 10. There we read, 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. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war horses from Jerusalem and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. No doubt, beloved, that promise sounded good, especially at this time. It sounded good to God's people, especially under the yoke of Rome and Caesar. What a day that would be when Zion's king would come and rescue them. and rule over the whole world, over the ends of the earth. And in a sense, as we consider that prophecy of Zechariah, that's what's amazing about the actions of Jesus on this particular day. We know that before this time, since the beginning of His earthly ministry, about three years before, Jesus had always forbidden His disciples and the recipients of His miraculous work, as well as those who witnessed His miracles. He had forbidden them from telling what they had seen or heard. And the reason that He gave was, My time has not yet come. Up until this time, Jesus worked to avoid publicity and to evade the desires of the people for an earthly king and Messiah, and especially to make Him that earthly king and Messiah. And we must be reminded through all of this that Jesus was in control. Not the crowds, not Caesar, not Pilate, not the Sanhedrin, not the religious leaders of the day. Jesus was in control. He orchestrated the path to the cross. Every last detail, every last minute. In fact, the leaders who plotted to kill him, in a sense, really, if we were to study this through and through, they had to change their plans. In a sense, he thrusted upon them. And just as he came in the fullness of time, as Paul says, in the very same way, his trial and crucifixion, his death, resurrection and ascension, and his second coming would and will be according to his timetable. And this preparation to triumphantly enter Jerusalem and death the door and the results that it would bring was also perfectly planned for and carried out by him. Now notice what Jesus is doing as the transportation is prepared. As we read again, beginning in verse 29, As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, saying to them, Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you why are you untying it, tell him the Lord needs it. Those who were sent ahead went and found it, just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, Why are you untying the colt? They replied, The Lord needs it. They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and put Jesus on it. Now, Matthew tells us that there were two donkeys. There was the mother and then the colt. And no doubt they took both, but it's very clear that Jesus rode the colt, upon which no one had ever ridden. But then in John 6, verse 15, after feeding the 5,000, we read, Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. Again, at that time, he resisted. But this time is different. Beloved, this was a time of excitement. It was the time of the Passover, and therefore many Jews had made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem to observe the Passover. Things were hustling and bustling. And then to top it all off, Jesus had just recently raised His friend Lazarus from the dead. And John 12, verse 17 says, The crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. And as we consider what the Gospel writers all together tell us, we find that there was a crowd with Him headed toward Jerusalem and there was a crowd that heard about his miracle that was coming from Jerusalem to meet him and these two crowds would meet in a sense surrounding him. And the point is that there would be a great multitude of people with him as he made his way publicly into Jerusalem. And unlike before when the multitudes wanted to make him king, now by sending for this donkey colt, he lays claim to being a king. He does not suppress their shouts of him being the king who comes in the name of the Lord. He accepts them. But not just any king. The very one promised by Zechariah. Now Jesus would allow them to treat him as a king, humbly as it may be, with their cloaks for a saddle and cloaks and palm branches as a red carpet and their shouts of Hosanna. They knew what Zechariah had said. I believe verse 38 proves they understood the symbolism. Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. This one who had the power to restore life. Now he asks for a donkey as they make their way where? To the capital city of Jerusalem. They understood the symbolism. They could put two and two together. Yet we must not forget that John says the disciples did not understand this until after Jesus had ascended into heaven and the Holy Spirit came upon them. They understood this in part, we might say. But they did not understand the full significance of it. But how exciting. Today is the day. Jesus was saying, once again, only this time by demonstration, today this Scripture is fulfilled. Only this time in your seeing, before your eyes. And I believe that through His instructions to the two disciples and the fact that it all happens according to the testimony of Scripture, it all happens just as He said it would, Jesus was once again showing them as He had done through every miracle. He was once again showing them the true King. By giving demonstration of His divinity, indeed God with man was now residing. He is the true King. Now some say that the owners knew Jesus, and they may have been followers of His, and that may very well be. But by the very fact that He sends these two disciples to a place where they couldn't see the colt from where He gave the instructions, and by the very fact that this colt was where Jesus said it would be, that it was not in use at that time, that the owners were home, and that they willingly let it be borrowed, Jesus gives evidence that He is the God of providence who not only holds the King's heart in His hand, as Isaiah says, but He has the power of the hearts of all men. But as the two disciples and the people with their cloaks were preparing this transportation for Jesus, Jesus was also preparing the people themselves. In Revelation 19, John sees a white horse whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood and his name is the Word of God. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike the nations. Beloved, that is a picture of our victorious and exalted Lord Jesus Christ. But His victory and exaltation would come by means of His humiliation. Here on this borrowed donkey, with the cloaks and the palm branches of the poor who were following Him, these things used as a saddle and as pavement under His feet, with the voices shouting His coming, Jesus also points to the fact that He would be the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Claiming to be the Messiah King, yet adorned with such poverty and humility, He is the one who would be rejected, despised and rejected by men. Again, we know that the multitudes didn't understand this, as no doubt many of the same who were shouting Hosanna, blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord, would in a few days shout, give us Barabbas and crucify him. Yet Jesus was giving a clear description of the kind of king he would be. This king came in humility to bear sin. You see, a chariot and a horse were the emblems of a great conquering king. But Jesus does not come mounted on a war horse, on a white stallion at this time, or riding in an armored chariot. He comes on a beast of burden. on a colt of a donkey. He's not surrounded by attendants and warriors carrying swords and spears, but by poverty-stricken people carrying palm branches. It's not the blast of trumpets that announce His coming. As we have already said, it's the very opposite. He gives clear evidence, as He would say to Pilate later on, My kingdom is not of this world. And little did the people know He was setting Himself up for rejection. Yes, Jesus was rightfully claiming His kingship. And He was preparing to come and fight for His kingdom and His kingdom's citizens, but not by earthly power and might. He did not come to temporarily throw off the yoke of Rome. He came as the Prince of Peace He is to fight for His kingdom's citizens by suffering for them, to rescue them from eternal death. You see, the people are right. They are correct in hailing Him as the Messiah, the King who comes in the name of the Lord. But they were wrong in their understanding. The true peace they needed and should long for is peace with God, to be rescued from slavery to sin and Satan and to enjoy freedom in Christ Jesus the Lord. Yet on this day, He would ride into the royal city. He would ride in as royalty, but in meekness, not majesty. He does not come in wrath to take vengeance, but He comes in mercy to work salvation. It's not the blood of His enemies He will shed, but His own blood. And even though the people did not yet understand all of this, He was preparing to save His people in a way they could never have imagined. Triumph. Salvation through death. they should not want an earthly Messiah who would only conquer Satan's servants the wicked kings of the earth but they should want this one who would conquer Satan himself and beloved that is to be our desire as well it is not to be our desire to simply want relief and deliverance from earthly trials and temptations and difficulties but from sin the desire to have our souls saved to enjoy eternal security beloved we have it so good here we have it so good here that at times when we are struck with adversity in some way that's all we see Lord deliver me from this trial this temptation and we forget that even that our Lord works for our good in some way we sometimes take our eyes off of the big picture the salvation of our souls our lord jesus christ prepared to triumphantly enter death's door to stake his claim by destroying satan's right to you and me as it were and i say it that way because lost in sin satan says they're mine God you said the soul that sins it shall die they're mine they're sinners but against those for whom Jesus died who put their faith and trust in him against them Satan has lost his claim Paul says in Romans chapter 8 who will bring a charge against those whom God has chosen it is God who justifies who is he that condemns Christ Jesus who died more than that who was raised to life is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us do you see what Paul is saying it is finished Christ is not in the tomb he's in glory ruling seated at the right hand of his father Satan can complain all he wants he can lay a charge all he wants he can say they're mine, but they're not. Because God says it's finished. It's finished. Satan can no longer bring a charge against those who are in Christ Jesus. He can no longer bring a credible charge. His charge is in vain against those whose sins are forgiven and who stand before God as righteous for Jesus' sake. And beloved, if you belong to the faithful Savior Jesus Christ, Then indeed, every day of your life, the song that resounds from your lips ought to be Hallelujah. What a Savior. Because no matter what you may endure in this life, yours is the confidence that you are more than a conqueror through Him who loved you, and that nothing shall be able to separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And even though Satan might still try to accuse and say, They're mine. You're a sinner. God could never love you. Our comfort is in the words of our Lord. Spoken already in Isaiah chapter 43. I have redeemed you. You are mine. And then notice finally, beloved, the way prepared. Verse 36. This is sort of a red carpet treatment, we might say, fit for a humble king. And the idea is that they kept moving their cloaks further and further along behind them, picking them up from behind and placing them ahead so that the whole path that our Lord may have gone down was covered with these cloaks. And this wasn't really anything new and different either when Jehu was anointed king over Israel, he received the same treatment. We read in 2 Kings 9.13, they hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, Jehu is king. Again, with Jesus, they acknowledge his claim to be the king that was to come, although they misunderstood the truth of it. Yet, even though their devotion will be short-lived, on this day, Their actions testify to their subjection to Him. To put their cloaks down for Jesus to ride on, the people were saying they submit to Him. They give their lives to Him. They would be ruled by Him. But of course, in the end, they would reject Him. And even His robes and clothing would be taken from Him as He would go to the cross and enter death's door with nothing. Beloved, Paul says of Christ, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing. And Paul says in another place, for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. He became like us, so that we might become like Him. He took upon Himself our flesh that we might be filled with His Holy Spirit. And in all of His humiliation, we are to see what we deserved but could not endure. But He triumphantly entered death's door so that indeed in Him we are now rich. And His gifts to us, His gifts of salvation, of His Holy Spirit, of guaranteed protection from Satan, of an inheritance that is far better than silver or gold. Ultimately, the gift of the favor of our Heavenly Father, peace with God, His gifts cannot help but to draw from us a response of gratitude. And this not only with our mouths, but our very lives, beloved, ought to give clear evidence of alleluia. What a Savior. In a sense, to put it in our terminology today or the way of thinking of society today, each one of our lives ought to be a video production of this very comfort for others to see, to observe, to watch. That our lives reflect that truth, hallelujah, what a Savior. Yes, we live this side of the cross. By God's grace, we look back, governed by His Word, to see and understand by the illumination of the Holy Spirit what the Hosanna shouters did not yet understand. And as those who know and have the confidence of such a great salvation, we are called, beloved, to be subject to this King Jesus and only this King, there is no other. We are called to offer our bodies, as Paul says, which is talking about every bit of our lives as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. We are called, as those who confess Christ, to submit to His rule, which is perfect, it's equitable, and it's for our good. Does that describe you? Does that describe me? We are called to lay our lives down in service to Him. Does that describe us? or when it comes to certain situations of life, do we pull back and say, oh, nope, not that. I'm not going to turn that over to the Lord. That one's on my own. Young people, and boys and girls, just as every part of creation belongs to God, so does every moment of your life. Every word, every thought, and every action belongs to Him. Is He pleased with you? Is he pleased with the offering of your words? Is he pleased with the thoughts that you offer to him? Is he pleased with your action offerings? Is he pleased with how you spend your time on the computer, in the mall, on the athletic field? Is he pleased with you? Christ's preparation to triumphantly enter death's door then is to remind us of another great event, and that is His second coming. He's preparing for that even as we speak. Are you? Are you preparing for Him to come again? He's coming. You see, only then He will come in royal splendor with the clouds as His throne, with His heavenly attendance, with the trumpet blast that announces His coming, but not to enter death's door. Not to bear sin. That is finished. He will come as victor and as judge to judge the living and the dead. Even as every knee will bow before Him and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, He will put all of His enemies away forever and ever and He will bring salvation to those waiting for Him. He will bring His people, His bride, to her triumphant eternal life. Even today, beloved, many are being prepared for that coming through the preaching of the Gospel of the victorious Christ by the power of the Spirit. God prepares His people with the truth of His Word and not one will be left behind. The bride is being prepared for the triumphal coming of her bridegroom who will present her without stain, without wrinkle to His Father. Do you look forward to that day with eager preparation? And once again I ask, are you preparing for it? Are you preparing yourself? Are you preparing your children? Are you helping to prepare your brothers and sisters in Christ by encouraging one another in that faith? Are you striving to prepare your neighbors for His coming? Are you storing up treasures in heaven that will not be consumed? You see, this humble procession on a beast of burden, which symbolizes peace, this humble procession without the expected royal trimmings that should go along with it, this humble procession leading to the cross is foolishness and laughable to those perishing because it doesn't make sense. Certainly, it could never be this way. But all of this, this humble procession crowned with the cross is the power of God and the salvation for those who are being saved. And as the world sees, as all they see is weakness, we are to see the power of God. The only real power that is able and willing to bear our sins, to save us from our sins, and to bring us that salvation which we so desperately needed. Beloved, do you see and recognize that power? May each one of us, with all of God's people, be fully prepared on that day to sing, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord, because alleluia, what a Savior. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, as we bow in thanksgiving and praise for Your Word, we are reminded, O Lord, that sometimes as we pray for the same things and we think, well, I really don't know how to pray differently. Yet we are reminded, Lord, that You call us simply to glorify and praise Your holy name. And we do so once again in this morning hour for that great salvation. planned for, carried out and accomplished in a way that does not fit with man's thinking, does not fit with man's reason, but yet fits so perfectly with our need. And we thank You and praise You, O Lord, that You have indeed orchestrated every bit of it and that indeed it is finished. Father, continue to strengthen each one of Your people those of us gathered here this morning strengthen us in that gift of that most holy faith and may we indeed rejoice give thanks and sing alleluia what a great Savior. Amen.