Journey through the scriptures today and next Sunday to consider passages appropriate for the season and the moment. John chapter 12, beginning with verse 12, reading down through verse 19. Hear the word of the Lord. The next day, the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel. And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it just as it is written. Fear not, daughter of Zion. Behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt. His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him. And so may the Lord bless this reading of his word. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord shall stand forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached to you. Amen. Getting on and off the stage is important. I've been told that by more than one entertainer. And those who announce various acts who come onto the stage also have to learn that they need to be in the right place at the right time, or otherwise they'll find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. You don't want to be in the way of the act that you're announcing. I learned that in a school production early on, that you need to make sure you know which side of the stage those people are coming in on, because they will run over you on the way out. And that doesn't look very good to the audience. And so I learned that early on, watching people and appreciating the way that they make their entrance. Now in preaching, we don't have to worry about that so much, because first of all, you don't have much to look at once the preacher is out here. And otherwise, we pretty much are already in the general area. So we just kind of stand up. But what we have before us today is the entrance of the Lord Jesus on the scene. And what I want us to understand is that there is nothing in the way of happenstance that takes place here. The Lord Jesus enters in just the way he is determined to come on the scene in Jerusalem, and he does so for a very specific purpose. Now, some thoughts as we consider this. First of all, we know that the waving of palm branches was a way of celebrating. In Leviticus chapter 23 and verse 40, for example, in dealing with the matter of celebrating or that festival that was called the festival of the booths or the tabernacles, the Lord had said, and you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook. and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days." So the waving of palm branches came to be a way of celebrating. And the way in which we read in other passages how that the crowds laid their clothes down, their cloaks, on the pathway in front of the Lord Jesus. That is also found in the Old Testament in 2 Kings 9, verse 13, when Jehu is recognized as leader. 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. And so there is historical precedent with which everyone would have been familiar. And so Jesus makes his entry onto the scene with that in the background. But understand this. First of all, by entering Jerusalem, Jesus shows that he is laying down his life voluntarily. The Lord knew that by entering Jerusalem, he was setting in motion a chain of events that would culminate with his death and burial. About that, we can be absolutely certain. When Jesus announced his determination to go back to Jerusalem, if you remember Thomas, by the way, who's called Doubting Thomas, Thomas is the one who expressed a full understanding of the matter and said, come, let us go die with him. It was a foregone conclusion that when Jesus set his face as flint toward Jerusalem, that when he arrived there, it would only be a matter of time before the authorities found a way to execute him. And so know this. Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem has nothing to do with chance. It has nothing to do with happenstance. It is his determination to lay down his life voluntarily. No one would take his life from him. He would give it. He knows that the enthusiasm of the people will enrage the Jewish authorities. And we see testimony of that in the passage that we read today. And so the Sanhedrin, Ruling Council of the Jews, as a result, moves more quickly than it had originally intended to kill Jesus. They had not wanted this matter to come to a culmination during the festival of Passover. They wanted that to pass. They wanted to do it at a different time. And yet, the Lord Jesus forces their hand. The rulers did not want to move against him. during that feast, and so his arrival in the city caused them to accelerate their scheme so that their timetable ultimately will coincide with that of prophecy. You see, everything happens according to God's timetable, not man's. And Jesus' arrival on the scene bears testimony to that, and we need to know that on this Palm Sunday. By arriving the way that he does, Jesus presents himself as the Messiah. Fulfilling Zechariah chapter 9 verse 9, which is quoted in our text. Fear not, daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt. He clearly shows himself to be the Messiah. He removes all mystery. And we need to know that. Remember how they cry out in other gospel accounts to Jews, tell Jesus to Have them stop their cries of hosanna? And Jesus said, if I had them to be quiet, even the very rocks would cry out. All pretense is removed. Jesus reveals himself to be the person that he is. He doesn't rebuke the crowd. He doesn't stop them from worshiping him. He receives the worship. The veil is lifted. Finally, he demonstrates the true nature of his messiahship. Contrary to the Messiah king that the people were expecting, he shows himself to be the Messiah that we need rather than the one that we would formulate. He enters mounted on a donkey's colt. You know, if we wrote this up, we would have him charging in on a silver white stallion with a weapon in his hand. Put those Romans to the spear. I'll deliver my people from their iron-fisted grip." But none of that. He rides in on a donkey's colt, a symbol of peace rather than war, because he is the prince of peace. And so you need to know that when you receive the Lord Jesus Christ into your life, that's who you get. You get the Messiah who is the Prince of Peace, not the King that the world would formulate in its mind and with its creativity and imagination, not the Savior that we would imagine, but the one rather that we need. And so we see all of that here in the text before us. We also need to know that there are at least two major components to the crowd that day. First of all, there are those who followed him from Bethany after that glorious event in which he raised Lazarus from the dead. And we just brush over that, don't we? There was a man who had died and was in the grave dead for four days, and yet when Jesus stood outside the tomb and said, Lazarus, come forth, that man couldn't do anything other than come forth. Some preacher years ago, and others have picked up on it, said it's a good thing Jesus specified Lazarus on that moment, or if he had said, come forth, all of the bodies of every dead person who had ever died would have come forth at that moment. couldn't have done anything else because Jesus has all power. People had witnessed that and so there was a lot of excitement. There was a crowd who followed him as we read in Matthew 21 8, Mark 11 8, Luke 19 36 and they were laying their cloaks on the ground and placing palm branches on the road in front of him. But then there was a multitude already in Jerusalem and they flood out the eastern gate to see Jesus arrive. And so you have these two crowds, the pilgrims already in Jerusalem, come pouring out, and they cut palm branches and wave them. So there's a lot of excitement happening in this moment. And so as we look at our text with that understanding in mind, we see how that Jesus arrived just the way that he intended to. For he came to do the will of God and was not sway by popular belief. He wasn't concerned about popular opinion. He didn't come to take a poll. He didn't arrive at Jerusalem trying to determine what he would do based on the crowd's response to him. Remember, Jesus determined to go to Jerusalem because it was the will of the Father that he lay down his life. It was that will of God formulated in eternity past wherein the Lamb of God would be slain at just the right time. And so everything that happens here is according to the counsel of God. I'm not up here preaching Presbyterian doctrine. I'm just telling you what the Bible says. And so Jesus does everything in a way that he should. I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And chapter 6, verse 38 of this gospel account. How important it is for us also in following in the footsteps of Jesus not perfectly as he did, but nevertheless to determine in our hearts to do what God wants. Rather than co-opting our beliefs and our doctrines to fit the mood of the day or the opinions of the masses, to stick to God's Word, to determine to do what's right according to God, not what's determined at the moment. You know, a moral is something that we ought to do. A more is just simply something that everybody is doing. But there is an ethical axiom that goes like this. You can't derive an ought from an is. If everybody in the country is lying, that doesn't mean that you ought to. Morals are not determined by popular opinion. For God has given us his transcendent law, as Ted Koppel, no theologian for sure, But speaking at Duke University years ago, he said that when Moses came down off of Mount Sinai, he wasn't carrying with him the 10 suggestions. God's will and purposes have been determined in eternity past, and he is not swayed by popular opinion. God at no time is in heaven wringing his hands, worried, thinking, wow, plan A is not working out. Let me drop back to B or C or D. That's not the way it works. Jesus was operating on plan A, because that's the only plan there is. God's will will be accomplished through us, in us, or in spite of us. But his will will be accomplished. And so Jesus is our example in coming to do the will of God. But ultimately, Jesus does what none of us can do. He does the will of God perfectly on our best day with our best intentions. We never perfectly do the will of God in this life because there's always a mixture of some motive in there that even we don't take into account, but the Lord Jesus, he was completely surrendered to the will of the Father. Not because he was in any way inferior to the Father, because we know, as we understand the Bible, that Jesus, the Son of God, is equal in power and glory with the Father, who is God. It isn't because he is inferior, it is because he voluntarily submits to the Father's will in order to accomplish redemption for us. What we see, of course, in the Lord Jesus is the perfect coexistence of humility and power. We see this in Him unlike we see it anywhere else. We see people who demonstrate power, the ability to wield authority, and yet we don't see this perfect demonstration of humility. Here is the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, through whom the whole world has been created. You know, I've made a few things in the course of life, not anything dramatic or impressive. You know, I can think about whittling out a corn shucker one time. Now that's just a little wooden instrument that with a leather strap goes on a finger right here so that when you're shucking corn that's dry in the shuck, you know, they're harder to pull that way. You can stab this thing through the shucks and you can pull it back and I had seen one that my great-grandfather made that we used in the corn crib when we were shucking that I would spend time with Papaw, one of my favorite memories in the world, sitting there shucking corn and I whittled out one and boy, I thought I'd really done something. But think about the Lord Jesus. Everything that is was made by Him. I have reflected on that so many times. Hiking in the mountains at home, as I look down across the valleys, whether it's in the Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, or other ridges that I've been on, and I've looked out over the scope of creation that I can see from that vantage point, and I think, wow. Through Jesus, all of this was made. standing at the Grand Canyon, looking at Glacier National Park, or Yellowstone, or all the great wonders, or just looking at a little insect crawling across the floor before I squish it. I'll think, wow. Not only is he holding all of the universe together at this moment, but through him, that intricate critter was made. It's amazing to me. And so then I think, what have I done? Absolutely nothing. But this is Jesus, through whom the whole world was created. And yet he says, take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. You ever been in the presence of somebody who's powerful, or at least they think they are? Have you ever experienced that? person who, being in a position of authority, has let it go to his head or her head, who thinks they really are the greatest thing since sliced bread, and yet you see none of that in Jesus? The one who, above all human beings, who could have ever boasted on the face of the earth, and yet he is humble and lowly and meek, so that when we receive him into our hearts, We have this one who has all power, but who demonstrates lowliness. So much so that as Isaiah foretells in Isaiah chapter 53 verse 7, he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. Think about that. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was empty and void. And the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the deep. And God said, let there be light. We're not sitting in darkness today because once upon a time, God, by his mighty power, spoke light into existence. That was through Jesus. the One who has created all things, and yet at the moment of His sacrifice, He opened not His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. Don't you see this great power of God that is under such great restraint because that same power prevented Him from defending Himself in that moment? so that he might become the perfect sacrifice for our sins, so that we owe the Lord Jesus Christ everything. It's not just that we owe him a lot. I can think of people through the course of my life that I owe a lot to. But everything, I owe everything to Jesus, because he kept his silence in order that he might be a sacrifice. But the Bible is clear, Luke chapter 21, 26 to 27. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Jesus came the first time as a little child. But when he returns, he will come in power and great glory. And all the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. You know, I remember seeing Air Force One one time in Charlotte. It was at the airport, and then I saw it flying overhead. There was a lot of talk on the news about the president's trip there. We all knew it was there because traffic was jammed up in every interstate around the city. It was a real aggravation. And there was that plane flying through the sky. All that demonstration of power. And let me tell you something, that's absolutely nothing in comparison to what we'll see when Jesus appears, because he's not going to need to come on a 747. He's going to come in clouds of great glory. You heard the story about Muhammad Ali years ago. I don't know if this is apocryphal or not, but it was told to be the truth, that he was in his seat on the plane. They were getting ready to take off. And the flight attendant looked at him and said, you need to buckle your seat belt. And he said, I don't need a seat belt. And she said, buckle your seat belt. We're about to take off. And he said, Superman doesn't need a seat belt. The flight attendant said, Superman doesn't need an airplane. You buckle your seat belt. When Jesus returns, every eye will see him. His power will be on perfect display. And we will be amazed to think that here is the one who is humble and lowly. and will enter into the heart of the most obscure person on the face of the earth if by repentance and faith we yield our lives to him and say, Lord Jesus, come into my life. You can think on that for the rest of the time you have on earth and your mind will not be able to fathom it. Indeed, the Lord Jesus demonstrates perfect power, perfect humility. But you know what we also learn from this text is we see as the crowds are praising him. And remember, hosanna. Hosanna is a word which is really a petition. It means something like, Lord, please save us. I'll take that. That's a good word to utter in prayer. More and more these days, I'm saying things like that. Lord, save us. Rescue us. Hosanna. Oh, how we need a real leader. Oh, how we need the Lord Christ. In all of the power that dwells in the Godhead mightily, yet riding in on a donkey's colt, an animal upon which no one had ever sat, he arrives on the scene, fulfilling all prophecy. His disciples did not understand these things at first. And so what we see is that we can only understand Jesus as we are enabled by the Holy Spirit and on this side of the crucifixion and resurrection. Only as God has shed light in the victory of Christ by way of his being glorified on the cross, by way of his resurrection and his ascension, as the Spirit has come and opened our eyes, only then are we able to know and understand who Jesus is and just what he has come to do. As it was with the disciples, so it is also true for us. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said these things, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. They were with him for three and a half years, and yet it took all those events together with the presence of the Holy Spirit to cause them to be able to say, oh, whoa, I get it. And we're no different. If you want to understand who Jesus is, you must see him in light of those monumental events. The gospel accounts differ in their telling of the events. The events themselves don't contradict each other, but they differ in the way that they tell the events. But they all make emphasis of the fact that Jesus dies and is raised from the grave. That's the place to which they all go. And so we must understand him. in light of those things. The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name. He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. And so the disciples benefited from the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit, and so must we. And finally, remember this. While the crowds were there and all of that exultant occasion, when they were crying out, Hosanna, when they were lauding the appearance of the Lord Jesus, they were looking for something else. Because remember, this same crowd that is crying, Hosanna, will only five days later be crying out, Crucify Him! You think people are not fickle? Here's one of the most profound examples in all of history. where people caught up in the moment are saying Hosanna, but then they will be caught up in the moment by week's end when they're crying out for His blood. And so we need not be looking for a memorable experience. That's not what we need. What we need is a Savior. Too many times, even in worship services like this one, people are looking for the experience. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm thankful for the experience. I was moved to tears this morning when the choir was singing. Oh, how beautiful that was. I'll carry that with me through the rest of this day and week and for weeks on end. But it's the message of that music that matters. It's not just that the chords were played beautifully and the voices blended together in the way that they did. It's the message in the song that matters. Because what we need is the Lord Jesus. And then as we have Jesus in our hearts, oh, then, boy, you talk about an experience that exceeds all others. The world is looking for an experience. The world is looking for that moment. But what it needs is a Savior. Don't ever let the world convince you otherwise. We need a rescuer. We need a Redeemer. We need a real hero. We need someone who will show up on the scene and do what needs to be done, and that's what Jesus did. The crowd didn't recognize it at the time, and only as the Holy Spirit came did they fully come to understand, as much as is humanly possible in a sinful world, that we really needed a Redeemer to lay down His life, because only by the shed blood of the Lamb will we be cleansed of our sins and transgressions. He sighed deeply in his spirit and said, why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation. In other places, he said, no sign except the sign of Jonah, swallowed in the belly of a great fish for three days before he came forth from the tumultuous sea. Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me not because you saw signs. but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Remember how he had fed the multitude and how they were following him? Now, you could misread that and think, oh, wow, they finally get it. No, they didn't. They just wanted more to eat. They wanted more fascination with another miracle. They wanted another event. They lost sight of what they really needed. That bread given at that moment could not satisfy them. The bread that they really needed was standing right in front of them, talking to them. We want our earthly desires satisfied. What we need is to have our sins forgiven, to be reconciled to God through the Lamb of God, to yield ourselves to Him and recognize that He is the King of kings and Lord of lords and there is none on earth beside Him. The Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, because you see, truth is not determined by the opinion of the masses. Truth is determined by the Word of God. And so we serve a risen Savior who according to the counsel of God, showed up at Jerusalem at just the right time to do exactly what was needed for our sakes. When you and I celebrate the triumphal entry to Jerusalem, make no mistake about it, that procession with all of its fanfare led to only one destination, a hill called Calvary. And Jesus walked the path of celebration that he might ultimately walk the path of suffering for our sakes. What a Savior. Our Father in heaven, Lord, bless us this day to know Jesus. Bless that we might look to the cross, and Lord, as a humbled people, as those who have repented and trusted in Christ, that we might rightly celebrate the one who has come to do what no one else could do. Bless us, we pray. Forgive us for the many ways in which we have looked for the moment rather than for the Savior. As we give you praise, for the one who has given himself for us. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen. And now, as you remain seated and continue to remain seated, may the Lord bless you and keep you and cause his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. And may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you his peace. On the river Delosan, in Jerusalem that day, the soldiers tried to clear the narrow strait. And he wore a crown of thorns on his head And he bowed with every step The scorn of those who cried out for his name Choose to look at me, I'm all this long for you. Only me, no one else, all the world. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. I didn't choose to lose that love, I lost that love for you I'm not here, but I know something, all the way you