The King Is Coming
Text: Matt. 21:1-11
Introduction
1. Illustration: A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch.
The little boy was curious and asked, "Why do you have that palm branch, dad?"
"You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved Palm Branches to honor him, so we got Palm Branches today."
The little boy replied, " Aw Shucks! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!"
2. When Jesus came the first time:
a. He rode on a donkey, but when he comes the second time he will be riding a white horse.
b. He came as a carpenter’s son, but when he comes a second time it will be as the King of King’s and the Lord of Lord’s.
c. He stood before Pilate, but when he comes a second time Pilate will stand before him.
3. There is a great contrast between Jesus first coming and his second coming.
a. He has come to fulfill prophecy.
b. He will come in glory.
c. He will be known by everyone.
4. Read Matt. 21:1-11
Proposition: When Jesus comes again He will come in power!
Transition: The first thing we see is...
I. He Has Come to Fulfill Prophecy (1-5)
A. That It Might Be Fulfilled
1. Jesus knew that His time was coming near.
a. Up until this time, He had always told people that His time had not yet come.
b. However, he knew that His time had come and He needed to prepare to do what He came to do.
2. As he drew near to Jerusalem He came to a town called Bethpage, at the Mount of Olives.
a. The Mount of Olives is a ridge about two and a half miles long on the other side of the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem.
b. The Mount of Olives is important in the Old Testament as the place of God’s final revelation and judgment —Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary
c. Now it was to become the place of the ultimate revelation of the Messiah - His Son Jesus Christ.
3. Jesus told two of His disciples ""Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ’The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them."
a. He tells them go into town and there you will find an donkey and her colt. Untie them and bring them to me.
b. Now if you were those two disciples, you might be thinking "So you want us to steal them?"
c. But what they didn’t realize was this was their destiny. It was their purpose in being to carry Jesus into the city.
4. He says that if anyone questions you just says "’The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them."
a. "Lord" (also Mark-Luke) might mean "owner"; but then the disciples’ response would be untrue, unless Jesus owned the animals, which is extremely unlikely.
b. The title might refer to Yahweh—the animals are needed in Yahweh’s service.
c. But the most natural way to take "Lord" is Jesus’ way of referring to himself. -Expositor’s Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM
d. Just as it was their destiny to carry Him, it was also His destiny to go.
5. But Jesus was about more than destiny, He was about purpose. He was on a mission, and everything He did had purpose. Matthew clearly tells us that his purpose with the donkey and colt is to fulfill prophecy: "All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet..."
a. Christ had a reason for making such detailed preparations to enter Jerusalem.
b. He was deliberately fulfilling the prophecy of Zech. 9:9.
c. This is significant, for it means that Christ was dramatizing His Messiahship—dramatizing it so clearly that men could not fail to see that He was God’s Messiah.
d. This was God’s will prophesied generations before Christ came.
e. God wanted His Son to proclaim His Messiahship so clearly that the people could not mistake what He was doing.
B. Fulfillment
1. Illustration: Dr. George Sweeting once estimated that "more than a fourth of the Bible is predictive prophecy...Both the Old and New Testaments are full of promises about the return of Jesus Christ.
a. Over 1800 references appear in the O.T., and seventeen O.T. books give prominence to this theme.
b. Of the 260 chapters in the N.T., there are more than 300 references to the Lord’s return--one out of every 30 verses.
c. Twenty-three of the 27 N.T. books refer to this great event...
d. For every prophecy on the first coming of Christ, there are 8 on Christ’s second coming."
SOURCE: Today in the Word, MBI, December, 1989, p. 40.
2. Jesus fulfilled prophecy when He came the first time, but when He comes again He will fulfill even more.
3. Rev. 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.
a. On that first ride Jesus came meek and humble on the colt of a donkey.
b. When He comes again he will come in power on a white horse: majestic, strong and powerful.
c. On that first ride he came to die and sacrifice Himself for our sins.
d. When He comes a second time He will come to judge and make war.
4. Rev. 19:14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
a. When he rode the first time he was followed by fisherman and misfits on foot.
b. When He comes again He will be followed by the armies of the living God.
5. When He came the first time He said that "my kingdom is not of this world."
a. When He comes again He will establish a kingdom on earth.
b. This kingdom will have no end, and no one will be able to come against it.
6. He came the first time and fulfilled prophecy about the Messiah, but when He comes again He will fulfill prophecy about a mighty warrior
7. When He came the first time, he said he would prepare us a home, but when he comes the second he is coming to take us home.
Transition: Jesus is coming again to fulfill what has been written! We can be assured...
II. He Will Come in Glory (6-9)
A. Hosanna to the Son of David
1. Jesus rode into Jerusalem in glory, but it was a humble glory.
2. In verse 7 it says, "They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them."
a. The colt, never having been ridden, did not have a saddle, so the disciples threw their garments over the colt so that Jesus could sit on it.
b. The action of placing the cloaks on the donkey and Jesus riding it connotes majesty —Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary
c. 2 Kings 9:12-13 ’Thus says the LORD: "I have anointed you king over Israel." Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, "Jehu is king!"
d. The point is that Christ was now unmistakably claiming the dignity and rights of a King.
3. Jesus was not only shown glory by the disciples, but also by the multitude. In verse 8 it says "And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road."
a. The crowd’s spontaneous celebration honored Jesus as they spread their coats on the road ahead of Jesus and cut branches from the trees.
b. Some were spread along Jesus’ path; others were probably waved in the air (see Psalm 118:27).
c. The branches, probably from olive or fig trees, were used to welcome a national liberator and symbolized victory.
d. This verse is one of the few places where the Gospels record that Jesus’ glory was recognized on earth.—Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary
4. Notice also that Matthew says "a very great multitude" was gathered.
a. Two or more million pilgrims gathered in Jerusalem every year for the Passover Feast.
b. The news being spread throughout the city and surrounding area concerned the miracles Christ had performed, a concentration of miracles for some days now which included the raising of Lazarus from the dead.
c. The very atmosphere was electric with the exciting news that Jesus was God’s promised Messiah.
5. They not only glorified him with their actions, but they also glorified him with their voices: "Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! ’Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!"
a. The crowds shout out "Hosanna," which is the transliteration of the Hebrew expression that means "O save" (Wilkins, Michael J. NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Matthew, 688).
b. They called Him "the Son of David" which was the title of the Messiah.
c. They shouted out "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord." This means blessed is He who is sent by God to save His people; blessed is He who is sent with the authority of God.
6. This was the crowd’s acclamation that he was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. The people were sure their liberation from Rome was at hand.
a. While the crowd correctly saw Jesus as the fulfillment of these prophecies, they did not understand where Jesus’ kingship would lead him.
b. They expected him to be a national leader who would restore their nation to its former glory; thus, they were deaf to the words of their prophets and blind to Jesus’ real mission.
c. When it became apparent that Jesus was not going to fulfill their hopes, many people would turn against him.
d. Another crowd would cry out, “Crucify him!” when Jesus stood on trial only a few days later.—Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary
B. Coming In Glory
1. Illustration: Two cows were grazing in a pasture. A milk truck went by on the road. On the side of the truck were the words, “Pasteurized, homogenized, standardized, vitamin A added.” One cow turned to the other and said, “Makes you feel kind of inadequate, doesn’t it?”
2. When Jesus comes again everything in the universe will be inadequate to His glory.
a. Gold
b. Silver
c. Diamonds
d. Sun
e. Moon
3. Lk. 21:27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
4. The first time he came meek and mild as a baby born to ordinary people, but when he comes again he will come in glory and splendor.
5. He will come in all of His:
a. Radiance
b. Power
c. Splendor
Transition: All will shout "Glory to the King!"
III. When He Comes Everyone Will Know Him (10-11)
A. Who Is This?
1. Matthew tells us that "when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved..."
a. The word "moved" means "to stir up; to be shaken to the core, to the foundations.
b. This word implies that nothing is spared—everything that can be shaken will be shaken.—Practical Word Studies in the New Testament
c. Illustration: I remember when the Space Shuttle Columbia blew up. One of the astronauts was from my home town, and her funeral caused quite a stir in town. The president, governor, and scores of other dignitaries were there. It literally brought the city to a standstill.
d. Jesus arrival was even greater. It literally brought the city of Jerusalem to a hault.
2. But look at what they said "Who is this?"
a. After all of the miracles that Jesus had performed did they really have to ask that question?
b. "Who is this?" does not mean that Jesus was virtually unknown in Jerusalem, and so needed to be identified, but "Who really is this about whom there is so much excitement?"
3. To the question, “Who is this?” came the reply, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
a. But Jesus was not just another prophet; he was the prophet who was to come.—Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary
b. Deut. 18:18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
4. Remember that they thought nothing good could come out of Nazareth.
a. Jn. 1:45-46 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"
b. Nathanael’s expression seems to indicate that he did not expect that anything related to God’s purpose could come from that place because Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament.
c. The prophets, moreover, never said that the Messiah would come from Nazareth. —Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary
B. Every Eye Will See Him
1. Illustration: Faith is seeing the invisible, but not the nonexistent. — A.W. Tozer
2.
Revelation 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.
3. Jesus’ second coming will be visible and victorious.
a. Everyone will see him arrive, and they will know it is Jesus.
b. When Christ returns, he will conquer evil and will judge all people according to their deeds.
c. Even those who pierced him will see him, —Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary
4. Not only will they see him, but they will acknowledge him.
a. Phil. 2:9-11 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
b. Every tongue in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will recognize Jesus as Lord, either because of belief or because of mere acknowledgment of the undisputable fact.
c. No tongue will be silent; no knee will remain unbowed.
d. All of creation will recognize Jesus Christ as Lord.—Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary
5. Everyone that has ever denied him will acknowledge him.
a. Everyone that has denied his existence.
b. Everyone that has ever denied his diety.
c. Everyone that has ever denied his Lordship.
d. Everyone that has ever stood against the church.
6. Even Satan himself will bow before him and acknowledge his Lordship over all creation.
Transition: When he comes again no one will ask "Who is this?" They will all know.
Conclusion
1. There are great difference between Jesus first and second coming.
2. The first time he came in meekness and humility, but the second time he will come in power and glory.
3. The first time he came on a donkey, but the second time he will come on a white horse.
4. The first time he came to sacrifice, but the second time he will come to conquer.
5. What are you doing to prepare for his coming?
a. Are you preparing your heart to meet him?
b. Are preaching the word in and out of season?
c. What would you do if he came today?
