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Welcome to Mariners Church Weekend Message Podcast, inspiring people to follow Jesus and fearlessly change the world. Discover your purpose and get connected by visiting MarinersChurch.org or click the link in the show notes.

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Good morning. If we haven't met, my name is Eric. I'm the senior pastor here. The passage that we just read together or was read aloud over us is a famous passage in scripture known as the Triumphal entry. It is the Sunday of the final week in Jesus's life, at least the final week of him walking here. We believe as Christians that he died on a cross for us on a Friday and was resurrected from the dead the next Sunday. But the triumphal entry that we just read began the week that many have called Passion Week. That starts on Sunday when Jesus rides in to Jerusalem on a donkey. Passion Week comes from the Latin phrase passio, which means suffering. And so it is a week of suffering. As Jesus goes into Jerusalem, he knows he's going in to Jerusalem to die. Many have called this week the week that changed the world. And it is a massively significant and important week. In fact, if you notice, when you came in today, you were handed this guide. It's a scripture guide for this week. And we're gonna be walking through the major events of this week for the next six weeks as we move towards Easter. But if you open, you'll see all the passages of scripture and all that happens on each day of this week from Sunday, that's today, the Promised King arrives. Next week we'll look at Monday, and then we'll look at major events throughout the entire week. If you wanna look at all the scriptures around the week that changed the world, you can do so. And this guide comes or is adapted from a book called the Final Days of Jesus. I actually have a podcast interview on the if I had more Time podcast this week with the author of the book, Justin Taylor, if you want to listen to that. But it's fascinating how much scripture is devoted to this one week. Jesus lived, According to historians, 33 years before he was crucified on a cross. That's approximately 1700 weeks. So Jesus walked this earth before he died for us for 1700 weeks. And then there's the Gospels. The four Gospels in the scripture, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, that give us the account of Jesus life and his death and his resurrection. And one third of the Gospels are focused on one week in his life, 1700 weeks. But one third of the Gospels focus on this one week. And so we must step back and say, wow, this week is really significant. It is the week that changed the world. Historians agree with that statement, even historians who are not Christian. Tom Holland wrote the book Dominion. Tom Holland, the historian, Not Tom Holland's spider Man. He wrote the book Dominion. And in this book, he. He says that even though he's not a Christian, he does not claim to follow Jesus. That he has to admit that the ethics of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus, completely subverted the Roman kingdom. And that even if you don't claim to be a Christian yet, even if you're just checking things out today, we're so glad you're with us. You may not have realized, but so much of your life is impacted by the kingdom that Jesus started, how he completely changed the world. And a third of the Gospels are about this one week. Those of us who are Christians, we believe this week changed our world. Jesus life and his death, his resurrection has completely changed us. And so today we're gonna start by looking at why did it matter so much that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey? We read this passage together. It was fascinating. I hope you noticed that Jesus set up this. He asked his disciples to go and untie a colt or a donkey. And he told him, listen, when the people who you are, you're taking their donkey, when they ask you, what are you doing? You just say, the Lord needs it. Now, some scholars believe that this is Jesus performing a miracle, that when he says the Lord needs it, that those who hear that, they're just like, w. And they're in awe and they hand the colt or the donkey over. Other scholars say, nah, Jesus has spent a lot of time in Jerusalem. He has friends there. And so this is likely some friends that have a colt or a donkey. And he says to them, hey, I'm gonna send some guys because I want to. I want to ride it into Jerusalem. I want to borrow your donkey, and. And I'm gonna send some guys to get it. And you're. You may be unsure who it is. So when they take it, just ask them what. What you're doing. And I'm gonna tell them the password. The password is the Lord needs it. And so some scholars believe it's a password. Other scholars believe it's just this miracle. But either way, you get to the same conclusion, which is Jesus has the authority to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, that he chose this, and he has the authority to pull it off. So why. Why does he want to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey? Some people have said, I disagree. But some people believe that what you drive says a lot about who you are. And so, you know, like, if you have a minivan, you're communicating that you're in the mom season or the dad season of life. If you're one of those guys who puts an extra loud exhaust pipe in your car, you're communicating that you peaked in high school and that you're really insecure and that you just. You need everybody to know that you've arrived and that you're coming into the neighborhood. And so that's what you're communicating. We get it. We love you. We're glad you're with us, and we hope that. That Jesus heals what's broken inside of you today. So people will communicate different things by what they drive, right? Supposedly. And so what is Jesus communicating by him riding into Jerusalem on a donkey? Well, three things I want you to see. I want you by the end of this message, especially if you're a Christian and you've known of the triumphal entry. I do want you as your pastor. This will be a W for me if you can walk away knowing where. Why did he go to Jerusalem on a donkey? Like, why? Because he didn't need to. He's walked into Jerusalem and out of Jerusalem countless times. He set this moment up. Why? Why did it matter to him that on the first day of the last week in his life that he ride into Jerusalem on a donkey? And what does this mean for you? You're gonna see three things. Number one, he's communicating that he is king. Two, that he's a very different king. And three, that he's a very different king for you. Number one, Jesus, by riding a donkey, is communicating that he is king. We are reading this 2000 years after the event happened. If you place yourself in the moment of the event, if you imagine that you're in the outskirts of Jerusalem and you are Jewish, this means you know history, and Jesus knows you know history, and. And he thinks that you're gonna understand what he's trying to communicate. And he's trying to communicate as he rides into Jerusalem that he is king. And he's communicating this two ways. He's giving you a picture, and he's reminding you of a prophecy. So first, the picture that he's giving you, if you were there 2,000 years ago and you're Jewish in a Jewish context, you would have seen the picture right away. And here was the picture. The most famous king in Israel's history was a man named David. He's the one who united the 12 tribes who led Israel through a time of prosperity. He's the one who received the promise from God. Your kingdom's never going to end. Well, as David is about to die, his son Solomon is the one that David wants to hand the crown to for Solomon to become the next king. There's other people who are vying for the position, who are manipulating behind the scenes. And David sets up an event to communicate to everyone that Solomon, Solomon is the next king. And so here's the event. Solomon is placed on a donkey that David owns and he rides into Jerusalem, essentially communicating. The crown is being given to Solomon without any fight. It is peaceful. This is a peaceful transition of power. He's not riding a horse to do battle. He's riding a donkey or a mule. Here is the passage in the scripture, it's First Kings, chapter one. And if you were there that day when Jesus rode a donkey, you likely would have remembered this passage. The King David said to them, take my servants with you and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule and take him down again. There the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan are to anoint him as a king. As king over Israel, you are to blow the ram's horn and say, long live King Solomon. You are to come up after him, and he is to come and sit on my throne. He is the one who is to become king in my place. He is the one I've commanded to be ruler of over Israel and Judah. This is God's word. So when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, he thinks you and the crowd are remembering this moment. And he's understanding that you understand that he's insisting that he is the king. Now, why is this important? Because remember, God had given a promise to David that his kingdom would never end. But Solomon comes after David, and Solomon's heart wanders from God. The kingdom under Solomon's son gets divided. There's the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom and. And here they are all these years later when Jesus rides a donkey into Jerusalem. And the glory days under David are long gone. In fact, Romans now occupy our territory. That's what you would be thinking if you were Jewish on this very day. And Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem, he's clearly saying, I'm the one who was promised, I'm the king. The promise was given that the kingdom of David would last forever. Jesus, by riding the donkey, is insisting he's the fulfillment of the pro. Promise. The very first phrase in the Gospel of Matthew, the very first words in the New Testament about Jesus say this. An account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David. So here's what Jesus is communicating. Solomon was an unfaithful king. I am the faithful king. Solomon's heart wandered from God. I've come here to rescue you and your wandering heart. Solomon's kingdom was divided. My kingdom is never going to end. I'm the king. I'm the fulfillment of the promise. Solomon's temple was destroyed. My kingdom is gonna last forever. I'm riding into Jerusalem on a donkey to just loudly exclaim, I. I'm the everlasting king. He gives a picture, and then he gives a prophecy or a fulfillment of a prophecy. There's another passage in the Old Testament. And the crowd would have known this passage. They were deeply Jewish. They knew the Old Testament scriptures. Zachariah, chapter nine. The scripture says this, and this is why this event is called the triumphal entry. You'll notice it in the passage. Again, a W for me is your pastor. I want you to walk away knowing why Jesus rode in a donkey and why this day was called the triumphal entry. Here it is. Right here. Zachariah, chapter nine. Rejoice greatly, daughter Zion. Shout in triumph. This is the triumphal entry. Shout in triumph, daughter. Jerusalem. Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Jesus is insisting he's king. Now, this is different. This is different than other parts in the Gospels. So if you read the Gospels of Jesus, you'll notice early that sometimes Jesus will heal someone and say, hey, don't tell anybody what I did for you. My time has not yet come. Here in the final week, as Jesus sets his gaze towards Jerusalem and he rides to Jerusalem on a donkey, and he clearly and boldly proclaims that he is king. He's doing so because he knows his time has come. It's time for him to ride humbly into Jerusalem on a donkey and then to die humbly on a cross. So this shows us that, number one, he's king. But number two, he's a very different king. He's a very different king. If you were in that crowd that day 2,000 years ago, you were Jewish, you would have understood the picture and the prophecy from the Old Testament. But you also lived under the rule of the Roman Empire, which means you were familiar with Roman triumphal processions. There's a lot of history about a Roman procession. When a Roman general or a Roman emperor or Roman warriors conquered other peoples or other lands, they would ride in a procession, too. A triumphal procession. But on their triumphal procession, they would not ride a donkey, a humble animal. They would ride a horse to show how powerful and strong and mighty they were. We have depictions throughout history of this. For example, if you've ever been to Rome, right outside the gladiatorial Coliseum, there's the Arch of Titus. It still stands there today. This is celebrating in that culture, in the Roman culture, that Titus in 70 AD went to Jerusalem and sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple and comes out of Jerusalem conquering people. They're behind him and he's riding a horse because he's the mighty one who's victorious. There is Marcus Aurelius. Several hundred years later, the Senate in Rome gave him an arch as well, the arch of Marcus Aurelius. And you see Marcus Aurelius depicted on riding a horse. He's ready to do battle. He's the warrior. And here's Jesus, a very different king. He doesn't ride a horse, he rides a donkey. Because Jesus is insisting that, yes, I'm king, but I'm also. I'm not like those other kings. I'm a very different kind of king. I'm gentle. I'm gentle and I'm humble. Jesus had told the crowd one day, who were tired, some of you were tired, who were burdened down with lots of religious rules. Some of you have thought you have to do a lot of things to get God to love you. And you're weary and you're burdened. And Jesus spoke to a group of people just like you, and he told them that he was different than the religious leaders and different than the kings of Rome. He said, come to me, all of you who are weary and you're burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I'm lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. I'm different, Jesus says, and he is different. He is here for you. Now, in the Roman Empire, we have to understand that people thought we, us Christians were absolutely ridiculous, that we would worship someone who dies the way Jesus dies, that we would say that, that he's a king. See, in the Roman Empire, if you would die on a cross, it was the most despicable and humiliating way to die. Romans did even crucify other Romans, no matter how vile the criminal was, it was illegal for a Roman to be crucified. So in the second century in Rome, this graffiti was found on the side of a cave making fun of Christians. There's a picture of Jesus depicted On a cross with a donkey's head on top of him. And the inscription reads, alex Samos worships his God. Making fun of Alex Amos for worshiping someone who dies this way. You worship someone who died on a cross. That's your king. Ridiculous. Ludicrous. That's how the early Romans viewed those of us who worship Jesus. Yet Jesus is insisting that he is a different king, that he humbly will ride into Jerusalem on a donkey so he can humbly place himself on a cross so he can remove all of our sin and our shame, those of us who believe in him. So he's different because he's humble and gentle. He's also different from every other king because he's eternal and Jesus is insisting he's king. In this passage, the religious leaders tell Jesus as he's riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, and the people start praising him. We read the passage together aloud, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. The people start singing songs to Jesus. And the religious leaders say, hey, Jesus, tell your disciples to quiet down. Sh. Tell them to stop. Jesus says this in verse 40. I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out. Jesus is saying, I am the king. I'm the everlasting God over everything. I'm going to receive worship. If people don't worship me, rocks will. I'm gonna get worship. I must receive worship because I am the eternal, everlasting king. He is king, but he's a very different king. And he's a very different king for you. When Jesus rides into Jerusalem, the people start to sing to him. We read this in verse 38. Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Now, I don't have time to read this, but if you want to read this later, this is a quotation from Psalm 118. Psalm 118 is a prayer asking God to save us now. So when the people see Jesus, they clearly understand that he's insisting he's the king. And so they say, save us now. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Save us now. Which is why some of the gospel writers record the crowds saying, hosanna. Hosanna in the highest hosanna. Because hosanna means save us now. The crowd sees Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, and they realize how powerful he is. They've seen his miracles. They've seen him teach with authority. They're under the oppressive Roman Empire, and they're saying, jesus, save us now. Overthrow the Roman Empire. Overthrow the oppression that is over us. Save us from this. Save us now. Jesus came for salvation, but a very different salvation. He didn't come to rescue the people from their Roman oppression. He came for a much greater salvation. He came to rescue us, all of humanity, all who believe in him, from the oppression of our own foolishness, our own sinfulness, our own shame. Jesus came to save us, but not to save us from an oppressive government. He came to bring us everlasting life. And these people rejected Jesus because they wanted Jesus on their terms, not on his terms. They wanted Jesus to be a king like they wanted him to be, not a king as he actually is. Have you ever wanted Jesus to be who you want him to be, not who he actually is? Have you ever wanted Jesus on your terms, on your agenda, on your plans, and not on his actual plans for you? Have you ever wanted Jesus how you want him to be? Augustine, the early Church Father, famously said, God created man in his own image. And man has turned around and attempted to do the same to make God in his own image. Jesus is not interested in being the king that you imagine him to be. He's the king that he is. He insists on being the eternal, everlasting King. He's a good and gracious king. He's gentle and humble, but he's also the everlasting, eternal king. And the people missed Jesus because they wanted Jesus on their terms, not on his terms. Which is why Jesus cries for them and pronounces judgment over them. As you keep reading in this passage, you get to verse 41. This is right after Jesus said, the rocks will cry out. Verse 41. Jesus then approaches and sees the city, and he wept for it, saying, if you knew this day what would bring peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come on you when your enemies will build a barricade around you, the surround you and hem you in on every side. They will crush you and your children among you to the ground. And they will not leave one stone on another in your midst because you did not recognize the time when God visited you. This is a stunning and terrifying passage. Jesus tells the people as he weeps for them because he loves them. You missed. You missed it. You missed the day that God came to visit you. I'm God. I am the everlasting King. And you missed it because you want me on your terms, not on my terms. And in this passage that I just read, Jesus pronounces judgment over Jerusalem. In fact, it's a prophecy that is fulfilled only a couple decades Later, Jesus says a time is coming when you will be judged and there won't be one stone left on top of another. That happens only a few decades later. I showed you a moment ago the Arch of Titus in 70 AD, which is a few years after this. Titus marches into Jerusalem, destroys the temple, sacks Jerusalem and Israel. Jerusalem is judged because they rejected Jesus. Here's what we learned in this passage. He's the king. If you receive him on his terms, you receive a gentle and humble king who will do for you what no earthly king could ever do for you. But if you reject Jesus as your king, one day he will judge you. That's what we learn in the triumphal entry. The reality is, every one of us is still looking for a king. All of us, at all times, everyone in this room, everyone in your neighborhood, everyone at your job, everyone in our world, everyone is looking for king. Why? How? Because this is what we believe as Christians. That God, the everlasting King, created you in his image, but he created you for Himself, because God created you for Himself. He created you to worship him, to crown him. And if you do, you are ultimately filled with joy. But all of us have gone astray. I've gone astray. And because he created us to worship, we can't help but worship. We're gonna crown something or someone at all times. You're gonna crown something or someone. And if you don't crown Jesus as king, you'll find something else to make king in your life. All of us are looking for a king. You see it as you live in our world. You see it in yourself, you see it in other people. You see it every fall during football season. I love going to football games. I'm not knocking football games, but you see it in the fall when the guy who goes to the games on a Saturday, five and a half hours before they start and is at a tailgate. All of his hopes rest on how a 19 year old kid is going to perform on the football field. He then goes into the coliseum and he's got his colors on. He's passionate. He participates in biblical postures of worship, hands lifted throughout the game. Shouts, screams, clapping, cheering, tears. At times it is fascinating that some of the same dudes who at church are like this at a game, are all in, all in and listen. I go to games, I cheer, I celebrate. But there's a line that you cross where you look for that game you to give you a feeling of being alive, where your hopes happen or are crushed on that game. You crown something. We See it all the time. People crown something. Some people likely more common among us is that we crown our career. When you crown your career, your career is not simply a way for you to contribute to society and serve other people and provide for your family. No, your career becomes, when you crown it, the thing that gives you your identity, you love. When someone asks you, what do you do? It is your crown. You crown it as everything for you. But the longer you're in it, the more you realize that your career is a gracious gift to you from God. But it's a really bad king because your career is never going to say to you, come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I'll give you rest. Your career is going to say to you, give me more, give me more, give me more. Your career, if you crown it as king, is bloodthirsty. It wants more of your sacrifices. And your career will never say it is finished, it's enough. Only one king describes it is finished, and that is King Jesus. He's the only one. For some, there's seasons in your life where you long for relief or you long for rest from this world that is bruising you and battering you. And you, you crown alcohol, or you crown a substances king. And you maybe tell yourself it's only for the season, but you think, I will have more confidence with this. This will give me confidence. This will give me rest. But you know, the longer you crown a substance or alcohol as king in your life, it takes. The bottle takes so much more from you than it ever gives some crown a relationship. Some of you who are single, who are dating, you think, if, if he will propose or if she will marry me, then I'll have real life. Some of you who are married think, I need him. I. I need her to exist. I need this person to make me feel alive. And while that can sound romantic, those of us who are on relationships, we know this, that that actually ruins a relationship because you are putting an expectation on the person, on the relationship that the person cannot deliver on. Because that person isn't the everlasting God. That person is not the Creator. That person is a created thing and can do for you what only the Creator can do for you. So you actually saddle the relationship with expectations that the relationship cannot handle because the crown is too heavy. Only Jesus can bear the heavy crown of being your everlasting king. And he is a good and gracious king. And so when you read this passage of Jesus going into Jerusalem on a donkey, insisting that he is King, I hope that you receive Jesus as your king and don't reject him when you, like the crowd, rejected him. The reality is, one day every single one of us is going to bow down before King Jesus. According to the Scripture. According to the Scripture, in Philippians chapter two, a day is coming that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, that he is king, to the glory of God the Father, according to the scripture. When you read the Bible, you see that every knee will one day bow. Some will bow fearfully before King Jesus. They will bow in fear and trembling because they rejected him in this life. And they will hear King Jesus say, just as he judged the people that day. They will hear King Jesus say, depart from me, for I never knew you. Some will bow fearfully. Others will bow joyfully before King Jesus because Jesus rescued me, because he took away all of my sin and my shame. I don't deserve to be in your everlasting paradise, but I'm bowing before you because you are my King. And those of us who bow before Jesus gratefully, not because of our goodness, but because Jesus goodness was given over to us, we will hear, enter into everlasting paradise. Share in your Master's happiness. Well done, good and faithful servant. We will hear, well done not because we're good, but because Jesus is good and we've received his good forgiveness. But understand that one day, every knee will bow. Some will bow fearfully, some will bow joyfully. And so a wise question for you to ask is, what do I need to do to bow joyfully and gratefully before the everlasting King? How do I bow joyfully before this king? Here's how you bow joyfully before him. You bow now. You bow now. You bow before King Jesus now and receive his forgiveness and receive his kingship over your life. And. And then one day you will bow before him gratefully and joyfully because he took away all of your sin and shame. The one who rode a donkey into Jerusalem, went to a cross to remove your sin, to remove all of your shame from you and place it upon himself. And if you believe in Jesus, he takes it from you and gives you all of his mercy and forgiveness. Jesus is the king. You need listen. You know this. Anything else that you've made king in your life has only bruised you and disappointed you. Some of you are here because this world has been cruel to you. It is a cruel world. But Jesus is a very gracious and good King, and he invites you to himself. When Jesus, ask you to allow him to be the king over you, this is Jesus being really good to you. Because every other king will disappoint you. Every other king will. Will ruin you, but not King Jesus. There is no king like King Jesus. He's the king you need. And this king is for you. Some of you have been on a journey over the last couple of months. You've been here at our church, hearing the gospel of Jesus. And today is the day I believe for some of you that you are going to say to him, I am in. I receive you as my king. See you receiving forgiveness. You. Becoming his is both a journey, a process, but there's also a moment, a moment when you confess to him. A moment when you bow. So one day you wanna bow gratefully and joyfully. You have to bow now. Well, how do I bow now? Well, I'm gonna tell you how to bow now. How to become his. You've been on a process. You've been hearing about Jesus, but there's a moment where you have to say, I'm in. I bow before you. I receive you as my king. I don't reject you as my king. Jesus. I receive you as my king. Romans 10:9 says, if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So I want, in the stillness of this moment, I'm gonna ask us to be as still as we can. This is a sacred moment. Out of respect for God, if you're. I don't even believe in God. Out of respect for people around you to allow this moment to be still and sacred. I'm gonna invite you who are ready to believe in Jesus today to receive him, to receive his forgiveness, to receive him as king over your life. Here's how we're gonna do this. We're gonna do exactly what that verse says. We're gonna confess. If you're ready to become his. We're gonna confess and believe. If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. You will be saved. Believe in your heart. Heart in the Bible always refers to all of who you are. So believing in your heart means that I'm not gonna believe in myself anymore. I'm gonna believe in Jesus. I'm not gonna be able to get to him in my own goodness. I'm so grateful he came here for me. I don't trust myself. I trust him. That's what it means to believe. So, okay, how do I do that? Well, in a moment, I'm gonna invite you one at a time to stand and confess. I believe. And I'm asking you to do this in front of everybody. Why? Because when Jesus died for you, he died for you in front of everybody. And when Jesus invites people to follow him, it's always public in the Gospels. Because when you follow Jesus, everyone's gonna know anyway. Cause he's gonna change everything about you. He's gonna make you brand new. I know that God is speaking this morning. I know that some of you, you've been with us since Christmas and you've heard the good news of Jesus and you've been considering Him. I know some of you are so intellectual. You know that you want to become a Christian, but you've thought it's just such a big faith jump, and you've tried to learn all these things to make the jump as small as it needs to be. I get it. I'm that way. But at some point, you gotta go. You gotta say, I'm in with Jesus. I believe in Jesus. I'm going to follow Jesus. He's true. He's real. He's the everlasting King. And he's the everlasting King that you need. So if you're ready to believe in him, to become his and receive his forgiveness, I'm going to invite you now, just one at a time. You simply stand and you confess. I believe. All right. Extend your hands, please, and let me pray a prayer of blessing over you as we go. Jesus, I pray you'd bless your sons and daughters this week, that you would remind them that you are gentle and approachable and that you love them, cause your face to shine on them. I pray they will experience your mercy and your joy this new week. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Go in peace. Have a great week.