There are certain words that the Christian community commonly use, but they are not written in scripture. Two of those words we understand, and they are the Trinity and the rapture. Palm Sunday is also one of those words that you won’t find in. Scripture, but the holiday is. Today we are going to discuss why we have palm, Sunday, two prophecies in the Old Testament and the New Testament, and it hopefully three interesting facts about palm Sunday. The scriptural evidence for this message of Jesus is found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Today we have direction from the Holy Ghost to focus on the account recorded by John.
Let’s read our fist verse: John 12:12, “The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees”, (this is where we gleam Palm Sunday from.) “And went out to meet Him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!'”
Old Testament prophecies:
1. “And went out to meet Him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!'”
2. “Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:” Here’s another quote. “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt”.
So lets take these two Old Testament prophecies that are quoted in John, and discuss three truths from those scriptures; which, happens to about Palm Sunday.
So let’s go to work: the first truth is Save Now! Look again at verse 13 it says, “They cried out ‘Hosanna'”. “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel”!. This is the first time that Israel has called Jesus the King. In so doing, they are saying he’s the Messiah, because they are quoting a messianic scripture, and this is the first time they’ve recognized him not just as a prophet but as a king.
The townspeople welcomed Jesus as the new King of Israel. They gave Jesus welcome hero. This welcoming would be like what we do today with rolling out the red carpet. And they cried out a quote from the Old Testament scripture, and they use the word Hosannah. The word Hosannah actually means something different then what most of us has been taught. Most of us have been thought that Hosannah means praise. However, Hosannah means, save now. The first part of the word, hosan, means save. The, when you put the na on the end, the n-a, that means now. Thus we have: Save now. Now what I want to do is I want to show you the scripture in the Old Testament, and I haven’t changed a bit. I’m still in the New King James version. I read out of John 12 New King James. I’m going to read this in the New King James version, but I want you to notice, I’m telling you the word Hosannah means save now.
Watch how this is written in the Old Testament from the verse that they quoted. Psalm 118:25, “Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity”. Just want you know, they bring the economy into it. Prosperity. Psalm 118:26, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”! This is the scripture they’re quoting. And here’s what they’re saying. Save us now. Send now prosperity. This is not only affecting us, it’s affecting our economy. This is exactly where we are as a nation. Save now. Think about how many times we pray this prayer. Don’t just save us God, but save us now. Save us from what we’re in right now. Don’t, don’t wait. Save us right now. And that’s what we’re praying.
That’s just amazing, isn’t it? Moves your heart, doesn’t it? It moves my heart, but also moves God’s heart. Let’s cry out to him right now, “save us”. But let’s also thank him for his goodness. So point number one is “Save Now”.
2. Here’s point number two, “Fear Not”. This is the second truth from Palm Sunday. John 12:14, “Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: ‘Fear not'”. This is the second Old Testament scripture he’s quoting. “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt”. Fear not. (Isaiah 62:11.)
If you, Google the phrase be or not, and you ask: how many times is it used in scripture? The answer is 360 times. As we know, if something is repeated in scripture is worth investigation. They are not as a command, and not a statement . God commands us to fear not. So, I’m other words “Gear Not” is a command for every day. The phrase is significant, because we are commanded to put our trust in God!
Even though it’s a command to not be afraid; it’s a good command. It’s like, God wants us to relax. And He wants us to be assured that we know he is in our control and holds our best interest! And these facts make the command Fear not, do not be afraid, and relax a good command.
If you open the word of God and read the book of Genesis, the words “Fear Not” appear at least three times. Somewhere down the line, maybe another preacher, taught me that the word Genesis actually means the beginning. So, the Holy Ghost wants you to know this morning
From the beginning of time, God does not want us to live our lives in fear. God wants us to trust in him.
When we have fear, the devil uses it against us. Therefore, if you have a fear it could be preventing you from doing God’s work. For example, some people have a fear of leaving their home. If I did not leave my home I would not be able to preach or Pastor a church. in addition, here are had a fear of driving I would not be able to obey God‘s command of going to visit the sick. So, from the very beginning, God did not want us to live with fear in our hearts.
The truths from Palm Sunday:
1. “Save Now”. We cry out to God. Save us.
2. Second of all though, we don’t fear. “Fear not”.
3. Now, here’s the third truth from Palm Sunday, “Not as We Expect”. Not as We Expect.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (New International Version)
8
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Jesus came with his fathers agenda. God‘s agenda was far more important than the agenda of God’s people. Jesus name to save the world in verse 16. Scripture tells us that even the disciples did not understand it the will of the father.
Let’s go back to John 12:15. John 12:1 (New International Version) 15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”
Now this is a quote. The other scripture was a quote from Psalm 118. This is a quote from Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, o daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey”.
According to Zachariah, the messiah for the King is coming, but he’s not coming as you expect. Jesus did not come as the key fall had. Jesus did not come to set up an earthly kingdom bright at that moment. I am in addition, a king would have been left out of the territory, coming on colt. A king, with well power always arrived at on a beautiful or horse, concubines, soldiers, and and goods.
Now, most of the time when a King entered the city back then, he entered on a war horse, not a donkey. And the war horse that he had would have been taller than every other horse.
We measure a horse’s height in hands. You take your hands and start at the ground and go up how many hands high to the shoulder of the horse.
A military leader always wanted a horse higher, at least two to three hands higher,
The king wanted his horse even higher than that.
*He wanted everyone to know he was higher than everyone in the land, so he rode on a higher horse.
Think about what Jesus did. He not only rode on a lower animal, but it wasn’t a horse, it was a donkey.
It was the foal of a donkey. It was a donkey’s colt.
Zechariah 9:9 (NKJV)
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Scripture states that the men loosed the donkey and the foal and brought them both to Jesus. And Jesus rode on the foal. In other words, the donkey’s mother was there, and it would have made sense to have the mother there because then the foal would have been calmer, would have been much more calm to have the mother beside the foal.
So now think about this, all right? There’s a donkey. I don’t think any picture we’ve seen of Palm Sunday is correct, ’cause we see Jesus on a donkey.
But I think according
According to Matthew, the donkey and the foal was there.
Matthew 21:7 “They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.”
Jesus came to town not on a war horse declaring war against Rome, but you see a he is on the foal. He’s on the colt.
So again, Jesus comes in lower fashion. Not on a King’s horse, a war horse, or a soldiers horse, but on a lowly foal. Let’s just ponder on the picture of the event.
He’s on this colt, this foal. It’s possible feet drug the ground or he had to hold them up. I mean, it almost looks a little silly, and yet Jesus is trying to tell them something. “I’m coming, but I’m not coming as you expect”. See, they were expecting a King. They were wanting someone to save them from their temporary circumstances. They were looking for a temporary answer.
*Jesus brought a permanent solution.
The people gave Jesus palm, but one week later the people gave Jesus thorns. the next.
“When Jesus was being whom they wanted him to be, they gave him palms”, “But when Jesus was being whom they needed him to be, a savior, they gave him thorns”.
I think about Psalm 118. We cry out and ask God to save us. Then, God saves us and we should at least offer God our praise!
This Easter: Let’s give him thanks. Let’s give him praise.
Here are some great ways to praise the Lord…
• Praise Him by lifting your hands.
Life up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. – Psalm 134:2
• Praise Him with singing.
Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to God: for it is ; pleasant , and praise is beautiful! – Psalm 147:1
Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. – Psalm 100:2
• Praise Him with your words.
Therefore by Him let us continually offer sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. – Hebrews 13:15
• Praise Him with dancing and instruments.
Let them praise His name with the dance; let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. – Psalm 149:3
• Praise Him in fellowship with other believers.
I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You. – Hebrews 2:12
