Sermon Notes 3/29/26: The King Rides Into Jerusalem

The King Rides into Jerusalem

There would be an appointed day and hour when Jesus would ride into Jerusalem

It would happen a week before He would endure the suffering of Calvary

On this day many would cry Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord

But a week later many would cry crucify

May we fully understand who Jesus Christ is and the awesome privilege and opportunity we have to worship Him

I.            Preparation for the King (Luke 19:28-35) 

a.  Luke 19:28-35 ²⁸ And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, ³⁰ 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. ³¹ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” ³² So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. ³³ And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴ And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 

b.  Jesus used the ordinary to prepare and accomplish His will

c.   Why a donkey

                                             i.     Zechariah 9:9 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. ^[1]

                                           ii.     A donkey was a sign of peace

                                        iii.     It was not a war horse

                                         iv.     1 Kings 1:33-34 ³³ And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. ³⁴ And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’^[2]

                                           v.     Donkey’s were a royal animal

d.  Jesus is sovereign over all things

                                             i.     Psalm 24:1-2 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, ²    for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. ^[3]

                                           ii.     Everything belongs to the Lord

                                        iii.     Jesus throughout His ministry and especially the events of Calvary demonstrates how in control He truly is

                                         iv.     When the disciples are asked why are you untying the colt the answer is The Lord has need of it

                                           v.     The word Lord means Lord, Master, or Owner

                                         vi.     It carries divine weight

                                      vii.     God Himself orchestrated all of this

e.   Personal Application

                                             i.     We must prepare our hearts to worship the King

f.    Illustration

                                             i.     A reserved seat at a royal event—prepared in advance, not accidental.

II.         The Humble Arrival of the King

a.  Luke 19:35-38 ³⁵ And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. ³⁶ And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.

b.  Philippians 2:6-8 ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.^[4]

                                             i.     Jesus came as a humble servant

                                           ii.     God fully became man and in humbling Himself didn’t ride into Jerusalem as a conquering King but as a Savior who was prepared to give His life for humanity

                                        iii.     Isaiah 53:3-6 ³       He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵      But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.   ⁶      All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ^[5]

c.   Personal Application:

                                             i.     The greatness of God’s kingdom is marked by Humility

                                           ii.     Those who walk closely with Christ reflect His humility

III.     The Worship of The King

a.  ³⁷ 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, ³⁸ saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”^[6]

                                             i.     The words the people proclaim point to the coming of the Messiah

b.  Psalm 118:25-26 ²⁵        Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!  ²⁶     Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. ^[7]

                                             i.     In their minds Jesus would overtake Rome and establish His kingdom now

                                           ii.     They didn’t fully understand all that they were encountering and experiencing

                                        iii.     Some of these same people days later would yell crucify

c.   Luke 2:13-14: ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” ^[8]

d.  Personal Application:

                                             i.     Worship should be expressive, not restrained

                                           ii.     Praise flows from remembering what Christ has done

                                        iii.     Do we understand the awesome opportunity we have to worship the King

                                         iv.     Our lives are living sacrifices

IV.      The worship of the King cannot be stopped

a.  Luke 19:39-40 ³⁹ And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” ⁴⁰ He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” ^[9]

                                             i.     The heart of the Pharisees is revealed in their actions

b.  Habakkuk 2:11 For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond. ^[10]

                                             i.     Nothing can stop the worship of the Living God

c.   John 1:11 ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.^[11]

                                             i.     The very same people that God delivered from Egypt and sustained by His grace rejected Him

d.  Acts 4:18-20 ¹⁸ So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, ²⁰ for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.^[12]

e.   No one can stop the praise and worship of the Living God

                                             i.     The Pharisees were blinded by their pride and arrogance

                                           ii.     What often blinds people from truly seeing Jesus for who He is is their pride and arrogance

f.    Revelation 5:11-14 ¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” ¹³ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” ¹⁴ And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. ^[13]

                                             i.     This is the reality that awaits all who call upon the name of Jesus Christ

g.  Personal application

                                             i.     Often the greatest hindrance to the worship and freedom found in Christ are the self righteous and religious

                                           ii.     Opposition to Jesus Christ is rooted in pride

                                        iii.     To worship Him for eternity

                                         iv.     Though the world may try to silence and blot out the name of Jesus, they can’t

h.  Illustration: People rejecting truth because it disrupts their authority or comfort.

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Zec 9:9.

^[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Ki 1:33–34.

^[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ps 24:1–2.

^[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Php 2:6–8.

^[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Is 53:3–6.

^[6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Lk 19:36–38.

^[7] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ps 118:25–26.

^[8] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Lk 2:13–14.

^[9] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Lk 19:39–40.

^[10] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Hab 2:11.

^[11] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Jn 1:11.

^[12] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ac 4:18–20.

^[13] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Re 5:11–14.