"Behold, Your King Is Coming To You"
Zechariah 9:9-10 Palm Sunday * April 9, 2006
(Key ideas from David Dykes)
Chester FBC, Chester, IL Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
A More than a 100 years ago, two sportsmen were sailing along the coasts of Scotland.
1 They anchored their boat at Inverness and went ashore to explore the countryside.
a At the end of the day they were lost and decided to try & find lodging before night fall.
b They knocked on the door of a humble cottage and requested a meal, bed, and offered to pay, of course.
c The farmer looked at the two men with suspicion and sent them away and they went next door.
2 This time the owner welcomed them and gave them a warm meal and bed for the night.
a Only in the morning did the host discover that one of his guests was Edward, Prince of Wales, who would later become King Edward V.
b Imagine the shame/regret of the first farmer who refused to recognize and open the door to his future king.
B Today’s message, "Behold, Your King Is Coming To You" will tell of two occasions of Jesus’ entering into Jerusalem, one past and one to come."
1 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; And the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; And His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth. Zech 9:9-10 (NASB)
a Zechariah prophesied about a coming King who would bring peace. (ETS)
b Believers are anticipating with expectancy for the next parade fit for a king. (ESS)
2 I hope you’ll have a better idea of what to look for as Christ’s second coming draws closer. (Objective)
a What are you doing to get ready for the next parade? (Probing Question)
b Lets look at two parts of Zechariah’s prophesies that can help us prepare for the next coming of King Jesus. (Transitional Sentence)
I The King has arrived. (Zech. 9:9)
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zech 9:9 (NASB)
A Zechariah’s prophesies about an event, the triumphal entry, that the final week of Christ’s life was hinged upon.
1 John 12: 12-15
a Jesus came on a donkey (an animal of peace), an animal a king would ride into a town on that signaled his peaceful intentions.
b A conquering king would enter a city, post-war, on a stallion or something even more impressive.
aa History tells how Julius Caesar returned to Rome riding a golden chariot being pulled by 40 elephants as part of a 3 day parade.
bb To the Roman citizen, Jesus triumphal entry was something like comparing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade to the Popeye Parade.
2 The arrival in Jerusalem was a marked departure from his ministry prior to that day.
a He had been very low-key, slipping in and out of the cities in the shadows, performed miracles and told the healed to be hush hush, and Jesus was very unobtrusive.
b Not this day!! Jesus enters very publically and is demanding their attention.
c For a brief moment, the nation must consider Him their messiah/king.
d He requires a decision from them at that parade.
aa They shout, "Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."
bb This was not these people’s first parade.
B In 163 BC, Judas Maccabees "The Hammer" rallied an army of Jewish men to fight against the Syrians who occupied Jerusalem.
1 They went to the temple, cleaned it out, burned incense, offered sacrifices, and light a huge menorah that burned for 8days!!
a Our Jewish friends still celebrate the 8 days of the festival of lights/Hanukkah.
b Any idea how Judas Maccabees entered Jerusalem?
aa A stallion (WAR! He’s a revolutionary)
bb The people threw down palm leaves, coats and shouted, "Hosanna, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
c Not long after the parade, Judas was killed in a battle, buried, and that was the end of the hammer.
2 When Jesus entered Jerusalem 200 years later, Rome was the new Syria.
a The people were hoping Jesus was the Messiah to lead them into battle to overthrow the Romans.
b Remember, He didn’t come riding a horse, but on a donkey. PEACE!!
3 Jesus wasn’t a revolutionary, He was a Redeemer.
a The difference? A revolutionary is willing to kill others for his cause (Maccabees).
b Jesus is a Redeemer, He’s willing to die for others!
c That’s were this parade would take Him . . . the Cross!
d This wasn’t Jesus triumphal entry as much as it was His triumphal exit!
e The King of Peace has showed up, arrived . . . Just in time to die!!!
T.S.: This week we’ll remember the events that took place between the parade and the passion, but let’s look even further ahead to the next time Jesus is going to come triumphantly into Jerusalem
II The King will return (Zech 9:10)
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; And the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; And His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth. Zech 9:10 (NASB)
A Zechariah’s prophecy has only been partially fulfilled.
1 He, Zechariah, points to a future time when the Messiah, Jesus, will return to Jeruslam as a conquering King. (Chariot & bow removed!!)
a Zech. 14:3,4, 9 clearly point to this event, that we will look in just few moments.
b The time Zechariah is talking about has not yet happened!
2 The Messiah will be welcomed in the city of Jerusalem as the King that has brought peace.
a By the way, peace will only come to the world through Jesus!
b World Peace is an oxymoron outside of Christ!
B The Bible teaches that Jesus is going to return in the cloads, and the Christians who are alive will be instantly removed, raptured to be with Christ.
1 The world landscape is giving us clues of the approaching return of the King.
a The Iranian President has made a commitment to "Remove Israel from the map."
aa The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east . Rev 16:12 (NASB)
bb The "kings from the east" are the Arab nations that are aligning against Israel.
cc Where is the Euphrates river? IRAQ
dd And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har -Magedon. Rev 16:16 (NASB)
b Jesus didn’t fight the Romans 2,000 years ago, but when He comes again He’s fighting, taking names, and winning the battle of Armaggedon.
aa 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. Rev 19:11,13 (NASB)
bb 3 Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. 4 In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. 9 And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. Zechariah 14:3,4,9 (NASB)
cc When He returns it is not just be king of Jerusalem, but the whole Earth!
2 Ezekial 44:1-3 predicts that the closed eastern gate would be the one that the Messiah would enter at His return.
a Today, that gate is in fact bricked over, all the other gates are wide open - - - not the eastern gate.
b Christians nor Jews did it, but rather the Ottoman Turks (Muslims) bricked it over because it was too close to the Dome of the Rock, the 3rd most holy site in Islam.
aa The Muslims knew that the gate that the Jewish Messiah was to enter was the eastern gate so the sealed it off and turned it into a Muslim graveyard.
bb Why? No orthodox Jew would walk on a grave (white-washed grave).
c This Muslims didn’t read the New Testament far enough did they?
aa Graveyards have never stopped Jesus!!! (Ask Lazuruss, Dorcas, Roman soldiers who guarded his tomb!!!)
bb A graveyard won’t stop the parade that is coming. Never has/will!
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