Palm Sunday

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Do you know about Palm Sunday? Do you know the day Jesus was king, but only for a day?

Join us as Pastor Chris Fluitt preaches a challenging message about choosing Christ as king every day of your life. Unlock the lesson of thrown down cloaks, cut off branches, and shouts of Hosanna.

Welcome to Redemption Church in Plano Tx. My name is Chris Fluitt and I am glad to share the Word of God with you today.

Hello to everyone in the room!
Hello to everyone watching & listening online! Special shout out to my friend George who lives in Germany. He recently made the decision to go public with His faith. We are so proud of you George! We believe God is going to use you!

Today is Palm Sunday!

Palm Sunday is a day where the Church remembers Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This story can be found in all 4 gospels. We are going to read the story in Matthew 21.

As we read I want you to consider the following questions.

Why is it called Palm Sunday?
Why the donkey?
What was the purpose of this event?
When did this happen?

Matthew 21:1-11 (NIV) As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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 heaven!”

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Thank you for paying close attention to the word of God.

Why is it called Palm Sunday?
- They cut branches from the trees – palm trees (John 12:13). So the visual of palm branches is why it is referred to as palm sunday. Now notice that they took off their cloaks/coats and, along with these palm branches, laid them on the roadway where Jesus would ride.

This was a sign of kingship. This is an act that would be performed for a king.

Why the donkey?
- A prophet named Zechariah tells us the purpose of the donkey.

5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

Matthew is quoting Zechariah 9:9. It tells us that the king will come to you. GENTLE and riding on a donkey. The donkey spoke to the gentleness of Jesus as king.

The ancient world had a symbolic understanding of the entry of a king. If a king entered a city on a horse it meant he was set on conquest through war. If a king entered a city on a donkey it meant that he came in peace and gentleness.

What was the purpose of this event?
- This story has everything to do with Jesus being king.
  -The prophecy was about the coming of a gentle king.
  -The act of throwing down clothes and branches was about receiving the entry of a king.
  -The people crying hosanna was a declaration that a savior had come to save them. They cried that he was a son of David – the very example of a king of Israel.
  
  ON THIS DAY Jesus was received as a king.
  
  He was born in a lowly manger…
  He was poor and had no home…
  He was a carpenter with a rag tag group of outcast followers…
  But on this day Israel received Jesus as their king!

After all the good Jesus had done in his ministry…
After feeding the multitude, healing the sick, & raising the dead…
After His perfect obedience to God and His commandments…
…Jesus was finally, rightly, declared king.

When did this happen?
- This all took place the same week that Jesus would be crucified.

On this day the crowd cried Hosanna as they received their King.
A matter of days later the same crowd cried “crucify him” as a sign hung above his head that read “king of the jews.”

I would like to entitle this message: King for a day?

King for a day?

How can this be possible? How could they love him, and so quickly hate him?

They worshipped Him, and later rejoiced in his pain, agony, and death?

I want to give you my entire message in the next few sentences. It is possible to crown Jesus king for only a day. It is possible to praise him one day and revile him the next. It is possible to receive Jesus and also possible to reject him.

We know this though; right? It should be painfully obvious that we can:

Worship Jesus on Sunday, and curse his name on Monday;
Declare His Word on Sunday and on Tuesday not even be able to find our Bible.;

Love Jesus on Sunday, but hate our neighbor on Wednesday;

Confess Him Lord and shortly after, pull a Peter… and say, “I don’t know Him.” (Matthew 26:72)

It is powerful when someone becomes a believer and publicly confesses Jesus to be Lord of their life. It is a God moment when someone prays to the Lord a prayer of repentance. It is worth celebrating when someone is born again and is baptized in the name of the Lord. These are great days!

But what about the next day? Palm sunday teaches us that we can make Jesus king for only a day.

Who was your king yesterday?
Who is your king today?
Who will your king be tomorrow?

Israel always had issues with their kings. Much of the Old Testament is Israel struggling with kings. Do we remember how this started?

The people had God as their King.
He created the world.
He saw them through a flood.
He made a covenant promise with the people through Abraham.
He delivered them from slavery in Egypt.
He brought them back into the promised land of Israel.

Israel had the best King of all – God. But then this happened in 1 Samuel 8:6.

The people said “give us a king to lead us.” – 1 Samuel 8:6

They fired God as their king.
He gave them miraculous mannah, bread from heaven, in the desert wilderness… yet they chose another king?
He parted the Red Sea, they walked through on dry ground and saw the army coming to kill them drown in the very same sea… yet they wanted another to be their king?
He was a faithful & loving King… yet they wanted to crown someone else.

Guess what God does in 1 Samuel 8 when the people ask for a king… He gives them one, but also gives them this warning.

1 Samuel 8:11-18 “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

“The king you have chosen” 1 Samuel 8:18

God should have been their King… but they chose another king.
God should be our King… but we choose another king.

And, are we happy with our choice? NO!!!

We crown kings that only TAKE from us…

We have crowned addictions as king… they have taken our health.
We have crowned materialism as king… it has taken our peace.
We have crowned lust and pronography… they have taken our intimacy.
We have crowned ourselves king through pride… it is taking us to the grave completely unfulfilled.
We have crowned our culture king… it is taking us to hell.

We choose the worst kings.

We choose kings who only take from us.

God is a King who GIVES

God gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. -Psalm 146:7
God satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry. -Psalm 107:9
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. -Luke 12:31

My God will fully supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:19

…those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. Psalm 34:10

So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. – Matthew 7:11

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. -2 Corinthians 9:8

He gives more grace! – James 4:6

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. -Matthew 7:7

believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. -Matthew 11:24

ask anything in my name, I will do it. -John 14:14

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. -John 14:27

He gives Hope!
Mercy
Power

His Word

Forgiveness

Redemption
He gave His only Son!
He gives us the Holy Spirit!

Who is your King?

Make Him your King right now.
How?

The people took things off and laid them down…
The people cut branches off and laid them down…

REPENTANCE – Lay down your sin today. Confess your sin and leave it here at the altar today.

The people lifted their voice. They worshipped Jesus as King.

WORSHIP – When you worship, you are actively crowning Jesus as King.

Everyday we need to lay things down before the Lord in repentance.
Everyday we need to worship the Lord as King.

Jesus is King! He really sits on a throne.

YOU CAN COME TO THAT THRONE…

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Repentance takes you before the throne of grace! It takes you right into His Holy presence.

Worship transforms the space you are standing into the throne room of God.

As you repent, this becomes the Holiest spot on earth!
As you worship, this becomes the throne room we read about in heaven.

This can only happen if you make Him King.