← ArchiveSunday, March 18, 2018DateMarch 18, 2018Speaker—TextMatthew 21Passages in this sermonMatthew 211:36Zechariah 913:57Isaiah 6213:57Zechariah 9:919:29Matthew 2026:46TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00Music by Ben Thede Music by Ben Thede0:30Music by Ben Thede1:00Music by Ben Thede1:30Welcome again. My name is Josh, lead pastor. I haven't introduced myself yet. I hope you have your Bibles with you. And if you do, take them out, flip to the page, click to the page. We're going to be in Matthew chapter 21, looking at the triumphal entry. And as you do that, I just want to ask a simple question. Anyone want a victorious, better life this year? Anyone? Anyone not awake and say, I want a worse life. Give me that. Sign me up for that train running into the ditch.1:52No, none of us. I want to give you three quick life hacks to help you have a better life. So the first is this. Very simply, if you want a more productive day, productivity experts will tell you that you need to eat a frog. It's called eating a frog. So whatever your most difficult task is, whatever you're dreading, do that first.2:11I remember for our youth, I remember for our youth. I remember I didn't make a lot of bad grades, but when I did, it was the teacher would make me get my paper signed, test signed. And I always thought I need to get it signed either when my parents are asleep or when they're about to drop me off for school.2:31The best way is just to go ahead early in the morning, show them the D, suck it up, and then your day, it can't get worse. And so you'll be more productive. Maybe you're a supervisor and you have to have a difficult decision or difficult conversation. The truth is, have that first. You're more alert and your day will go better. Life hack number one, eat a frog. Not frog legs, but eat a frog.3:00The second is this. Maybe you struggle with making decisions. And experts will tell you, well, every decision you make, ask why. And that will help you make decisions. Do I need to brush my teeth? Why? Do I need to take a shower today? Why? Do I need to put on socks? Why? So that helps us make important decisions and unimportant decisions.3:21Third life hack to give you victory in your life. I think it's the most important and it's actually really good. Experts will tell you, if you've ever lost a dog or are going to lose a dog or know someone is going to lose a dog, the best way to find that dog is to go to the place that you last saw them and find a shirt that you've been working out in or sweaty and put that there and the scent will draw the dog back to that area.3:47These are true. These would work in your life. And so I just want to give you ways to have a better, more fulfilled life this year. The struggle with these life hacks, though, one is we enjoy them. The second is these now leach into our spiritual decisions.4:08So some of you are thinking right now, the pastor is about to give me a spiritual life hack. It's going to be super easy. And then God is going to love me forever and I'll be done with it. Baptism is not a life hack. Baptism is not saying if I just do this, God will accept me and my life will be good. Baptism is us saying I have died to myself and I am raised in new life in Jesus Christ.4:35So with that, my prayer is that every single person here will leave here and live a victorious life in Jesus Christ. That's possible. That's what God is inviting you into today. To know him, to draw closer to him and to live out the power of the Holy Spirit through faith alone in Christ alone.4:57So with that, let's look at Matthew 21, what we call the triumphal entry. The triumphal entry. Every one of us here can find spiritual victory because of Jesus Christ. Matthew 21 and verse 1, when they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples.5:24Now, let's just pause there. Which two disciples? Who knows? Okay, good answer. We're going to come back to that. So let that sink into your mind. Which two? We're not given that. None of the Gospels tell us which two disciples that they were, only the number of disciples. How many? Two. Okay, verse 2. Telling them, go into the village ahead of you.5:52Which village? I don't know. At once you will find a donkey. Tie there with her foil. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them and he will send them at once. This took place so that was fulfilled and spoken through the prophet, Tell daughter Zion, see your king is coming to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.6:16The disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them. They brought the donkey and its foal and they laid their clothes upon them and sat on them. A very large crowd spread their clothes on the road. Others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. And the crowds who went ahead of him and those who followed shouted,6:43Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest heaven. And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar, saying, who is this? And the crowds were saying, this is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee. Let's pray. Lord, there is so much power in your holy, righteous word.7:11Lord, may it be living and active today for us. May it hurt our sin and may it give us joy, the victory that we have in Jesus Christ. Lord, we confess that we are simple people and we cannot understand the deep truths of your holiness and your glory apart from your spirit. So, Lord, engage our minds or fill our hearts and strengthen our hands that we might serve you and you alone.7:40Lord, I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. My message this morning is entitled very simply, Walking in Victory. Walking in Victory. Join me again in verses 1 through 3. I want us to look at all of the preparations that Jesus Christ has made for this triumphal entry.8:03And in our big idea this morning, I want us to wrestle with this thought, that the entrance of Jesus Christ changes everything. When Jesus Christ comes into the city, it's a game changer. When Jesus comes into your life, everything changes.8:30Because when Jesus enters, victory is found. When Jesus comes into your life, victory is found. In these three short verses, look at everything that Jesus has done to prepare. Look at verse 1. Jesus sends two disciples. Why do they go? Because they're sent. By who? By Jesus. He tells them. Where? Go into the village.8:59What village? Possibly Bethphage. We don't know. But Jesus knows. And they understand the village. Once you arrive, you will find what? Jesus tells them a donkey tied with a foal. Then do what? Untie them. Bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, what should you say? The Lord has need of it. Why did all this happen in verse 4? All this took place so that which was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled.9:27Did Jesus take anything to chance? No. Jesus prepares. And I love this thought that God has for us that he is prepared for our victory and salvation. You see, we prepare for the worst and hope for the best. And the reality is right now that many of us, many of you, if you had to say yes or no, where are you going to go when you die?9:56You're hoping that you'll go to heaven. Because you go to church or you're good enough. You're just thinking, Lord, if I do enough, I hope. I hope that I will get there. God does not operate this way. God prepares. And God has prepared our victory and your salvation through Jesus Christ.10:23And the same preparation that God has prepared for us, he's reminding us in this chapter that Jesus prepares. So do you trust your plans? Or do you trust the plans of the holy, righteous, sovereign God? Who do these disciples rely on? They rely on Jesus Christ. I was reminded of this, a simple story. We moved to Moody area two years ago, two plus years ago.10:51And we moved to a neighborhood that we were in. We were in a newer neighborhood and we were in the back of this new neighborhood. It was so new that it was not on GPS. And so we would tell people, it doesn't make sense, but you're going to turn, if you can find the neighborhood, trust us. Don't trust your GPS. You're going to go all the way back. You're going to take a right. Then it's going to be this house on the left. And we know this. We promise we're on the map. We pay taxes. Like, we get mail.11:22We're there. And inevitably, there will be people that will call us up and say, we're lost. The GPS is wrong. You're not on the map. And we say, no, you have an incomplete view of our neighborhood. But we have a complete view. We prepared for you. We prepared instructions for you. Just listen to the instructions. And if you do, you arrive safely. Some of you have been to my house and you were the person that got lost.11:50Or you're the person that listened well. You see, God prepares for our salvation. From the foundations of the world, God knew that Stephanie would put her faith in him. And that she would be baptized to tell the world that he is righteous and that he is good. God didn't look down today and say, Stephanie, really? Josh, how did you get into baptism? You guys aren't worthy.12:20No. God says, I sent my son for you. The same son who prepared going to Jerusalem that he might die on the cross. Do not leave your eternal destiny to chance. Some of you who walked in today and you're just hoping, Lord, if I just am good enough, I hope, I pray that you will accept me. And God says, no, I don't work on chances. I am the guy that prepares.12:49I sent my son that you might have life. What a glorious truth. Before time began, the Lord prepared a way. The Lord prepared a way. And he's still doing it here in Matthew 21. Why did all this take place? Look at verse 4. If God is a God who prepares for your victory and your salvation, why did all of this take place? Why did he send two disciples to this village?13:19Why did he ask them to untie this certain colt? And once they untied it, if someone asked them, why are you untying it? He said, the Lord has need of it. Well, thankfully for people like me, God gives us a clear answer. Look at verse 5 and 4. This took place so that was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled. Tell daughter Zion, see, don't miss that word. See, look, your king is coming to you gentle, mounted on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.13:47You see, this is the fulfillment of Isaiah 62, 11 and Zechariah 9, 9. So we ask, I ask, why did this, why is this prophecy fulfilled? Why would God's word take time to remind us, don't forget, this was spoken because that this prophecy might be fulfilled? Because God's word is reminding us that God is faithful and he is true.14:17And that everything in his word will come to pass. You say, well, why, why is this even important? Why is it important that one man would fulfill these ancient prophecies in the Old Testament? Well, he's showing us that no one else can do what God can do. Josh McDowell says it this way. He said, the chances of one man fulfilling these prophecies is this. Imagine, if you will, that you have one silver dollar and then you fill the state of Texas, the entire state, with silver dollars two feet deep.14:48So you're tracking with me? You have a silver dollar and the state is filled with silver dollars. And you mark on your silver dollar an X and you throw it in the state. Have you ever driven through Texas? It takes like a year. It's like, Lord, how big is this state?15:17So imagine that there's one silver dollar you have marked in this state and you blindfold one person and you say, go find that silver dollar. That's the mathematic possibility that one man would fulfill eight prophecies that God had predicted in the Old Testament. And there were hundreds fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Hundreds fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Why is this important? Because Jesus is showing that he has fulfilled everything that God has set out.15:46Only the Son of God could fulfill what God has set in motion. Only the Son of God could do this. You see, the Lord is true and his word is trustworthy. You say, I don't believe God's word. Do you believe in math? This is impossible. It is impossible that one man could fulfill everything God had planned from the foundations of the world.16:12And not only did God fulfill that through his Son, Jesus Christ, but he fulfilled it completely. He fulfilled it completely. So why is that important? We have in history recorded that over at least 40 men have claimed to be the Messiah. 40 men, I think recently, probably 41 now, I think David Koresh at one point told people that he was God or that he was the Son of God.16:38There are a lot of imposters. There's a lot of things that we strive for. There's a lot of things that we're going to be the Messiah, but we're going to be the Messiah, but we call them gods or we live in a way that they are God. We call them money or mammon. We call them relationships. We call them security or social security or health.17:06We long for these things to fill us and fulfill us and it will not happen. Only Jesus Christ has completely filled and fulfilled what God has set for you. He said, well, why does that even matter? Why does something that was spoken 3,000 years ago, 2,500 years ago in Zechariah matter for me?17:31Listen to this prophecy in Zechariah 9. If you ever want to have an excuse to be loud in church, shout. This is the joy of Christ. Shout in triumph. Daughter of Jerusalem, look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious.18:00He's what? He's righteous and... God's people don't live in defeat. We live in victory. He is humble. He is riding on a donkey on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Here is why this speaks to me so much. If Jesus has completely fulfilled everything that God has set out for him to fulfill, something that you and I cannot,18:29that reminds me that Jesus Christ has earned completely salvation. He's earned completely salvation. The Messiah has completely earned and provided your means of salvation. This is why that's important. Your salvation is not partial. It is not incomplete, but it is fulfilled fully in Jesus Christ. God doesn't save you.18:58He doesn't prepare victory in your life and then leave you incomplete. Satan, the enemy, the adversary. Satan only means the adversary, right? Satan wants you to, if you have trusted in Christ, Satan wants you to believe that you're still living in defeat. No, God says that his son has fulfilled what? Everything for you and for me. We don't live in defeat.19:27Zechariah 9.9, the king is coming in righteousness and victory. So if you follow Christ, live in victory, wake up, shout, enjoy his grace. God has not left you incomplete because you have not earned your salvation. Jesus has, and do you completely trust in him?19:53Oh, that we can sing this old hymn. Just as I am, poor, wretched, and blind, sight, riches, and healing of the mind. Yes, all I need, in him I find. Jesus, I come. I come. Yes, all I need, in him I find. Jesus, I come. I come. This is the triumphal entry.20:23God has prepared for you. He has fulfilled everything in Christ to prepare for you and continue in God's word. Look at what Jesus does. In verse 8, a very large crowd spread their clothes on the road. Others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. Then the crowds who went ahead of him and those who followed shouted, Hosanna to the son of David.20:52Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest heaven. Three times in these three verses, the crowd is mentioned. A very large crowd. A very loud crowd. An unruly crowd. These were not Baptist people. These were Jewish crowds. They were loud. They believe that when God's word says shout, they can shout.21:21They believe when God's word says clap, they don't. They clap. They rejoice in the King coming. This is why it's so important. God wants us to be more than simply part of the crowd. He wants you to be more than simply part of the crowd. See, this crowd was cutting down branches. This was a sign of victory. Oftentimes in the Roman world, they would cut down branches and throw them on the roads.21:50It was a sign of and also a symbol of the God of victory. It was the God by name of, the God's name was Nike. You might have heard it called Nike, all right? The original Air Force One. A symbol of the victor is coming. So what were the people saying? Hey, victory is here. If this man is who he says he is, and I believe he is who he says he is,22:18then I can have the victory he says is coming. See, God wants us to be more than part of the crowd. Anyone would look at this crowd and say they were victorious. They were joyful. They were happy. And they were preparing the way for God. And what do you think Jesus' response to this was? I mean, just think about this.22:49Jesus is riding into Jerusalem. People are throwing their coats before him. They're cutting down stuff. Some of the parents are thinking, my son better not cut down anything, right? Stay out of the neighbor's yard. And what is Jesus' response? Does he go, good job, guys. Keep it up. Louder. Look, look with me very quick. In verse 12, Jesus goes into the temple. Let's caution ourselves.23:21Where are we right now? We are in a place where we are worshiping together. Jesus goes into this type of setting and he threw out all those buying and selling. So God's response to this joyful, celebratory crowd is Jesus goes into the church building and he upsets the church people. Let that be a cautionary tale. Let that be a cautionary tale. But here's the key truth to this kingdom. God wants you to be so much more than part of the crowd.23:52And before we're difficult on this crowd, who's a part of the crowd? Jesus. Who's a part of the crowd? The disciples. Who's a part of the crowd? The two that brought him the colt and the donkey. Who else is a part of the crowd? Those that were caught up in the celebration. But God wants you to be so much more than a participant.24:20The reality is that some of you are here today because you were drug here. And you don't really know why you're here. And you won't understand it until you put your faith in Jesus Christ. The reason that you were here is not because someone drug you here to be part of the crowd. You were here because God was preparing your salvation before the foundations of the world. Some of you are here right now and you're thinking, this is a great service.24:50This is awesome. But God is calling you to be so much more than a participant. He is drawing you near that you might put your full faith in him and know and taste that he is good. That's what God's desire for your life is. Not that you go to church and go to the temple because the people in the temple, Jesus is stirring up. He's saying, watch out. Wake up, you Baptist people.25:20Someone shout. Right? That's what the Old Testament says. Wake up. Be more than part of the crowd. Yes, I'm thankful I'm part of the crowd and that where two or more are gathered, he is here also. But God also says that if you believe in my son, I will pour forth your spirit. And if you are by yourself, you are not alone because my spirit is still within you. There is so much more that God wants for our lives.25:48And we see in his word that God is not content letting you be content. God is not content letting you be content. Look with me in several verses before the triumphal entry. Wednesday night we walk through this and I ask questions that should be obvious, but I'm just either clueless or I'm the one that walks into the room and says, and everyone sees the elephant, but no one wants to say there's an elephant.26:11And I'm the one that walks in and I say, hey, guys, why is there an elephant? You might as well eat the frog. And so I'm the guy in the room saying, who are these two disciples? Who are these two disciples? Look in verse 29 of chapter 20. I think this is profound.26:40I think this is profound.26:46Matthew 20, 29, as they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Now, have you heard that before? Three times in the triumphal entry, we see a large crowd celebrating King Jesus. Verse 30. There were two blind men sitting by the road. Anyone heard of two men before? When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, Lord, have mercy on us, son of David. Verse 31.27:18Verse 31. Listen to this. Someone demanded that they keep quiet. Who was that someone? The crowd. The crowd demanded that these two men be quiet. But they cried out, oh, the more. Now, let me just stop us there. If you're in a crowd and you're telling someone to be quiet, I'm trying to worship Jesus or follow him. And they cry out more, maybe that's God's will in their life.27:49And maybe God is saying, let's put our manners aside and let's worship. That's free of charge. I wasn't planning to say that. They cried out all the more, Lord, have mercy upon us, son of David. And Jesus stopped and he called them and he said, what do you want me to do for you?28:12Wow. Wow. Look at verse 31. Lord, they said. Remember, I'm the elephant guy. Lord, I'm blind. Lord, we want you to open our eyes. And the Bible says, moved with compassion. Jesus touched their eyes.28:43Immediately they could see and they followed him. How many people were blind? Two. How many people did the crowd say, hush? Two. How many people did Jesus say, go find a colt that I can ride on? Two. Why would Matthew put these stories back to back and say, a large crowd, large crowd, two blind men, two disciples, two people sent?29:08I think what Matthew is reminding us here is that the Lord opens our eyes so that we can walk with him. You see, what these two men wanted was to see. And you know what Jesus gave them? Something far better than sight.29:37Jesus said, I'm not going to give you simply sight, but I'm going to let you see me. And can you imagine the first people? And if these men were blind from birth, we don't know. But if these men were blind from birth, the first two, the first person they've ever seen in their life was who? Jesus. And what does the Bible say that they did? He touched their eyes. Immediately they could see and they followed him.30:06You see, Jesus didn't give them what they asked for. He gave them what they needed. And the most important thing that they needed in their life was to see Jesus Christ. They needed him. They needed that he would open their eyes and that they could see for the very first time the kingdom of God. And they followed him fully. Church, this is walking in victory.30:34This is walking in victory. Can you imagine when someone came up and said, you guys need to be quiet. We're trying to worship Jesus. And they would say, you don't understand. I was blind. I could see nothing. And the first thing I saw was Jesus. So don't you tell me to be quiet. Because he has opened my eyes.31:02We need to see Jesus Christ. So I ask you this morning, what do you want? What do you want? The triumphal entry is a reminder to all of us that when Jesus Christ comes into your life, it changes everything. For those who are blind, they see.31:30For those who are lame, they walk. For those who are stuck in sin, God breaks the chains of our passions and we can walk in freedom that is only found in Christ alone. What do you want? And I just ask, would you boldly ask Jesus for the first time? Lord, open my eyes. Lord, open my eyes that by faith I could see Jesus Christ who has prepared and fulfilled everything I need for salvation.31:56Is that you today? Maybe you walked in here today and you don't know if you died right now whether you would go to heaven or hell. You're hoping and you're going to take in a chance. God, I don't know. God, but I'm just going to take a chance that you would accept me one day.32:25God is not the God of chances. He is prepared for you. He wants you to know him. He wants you by faith alone to surrender that you might find victory. And I want us to circle back to that fulfilled prophecy right now. The second prophecy that was fulfilled is Isaiah 62, 11. Listen to this. Isaiah 62 says, Look, the Lord has proclaimed to the ends of the earth, say to daughter Zion,32:53Look, look, your salvation is coming. His wages are with him and his reward accompanies him. Twice in Isaiah, Isaiah says, Look, blind people, look, the wages of God are with the king. I love what God's word says.33:23Those who are blind, those are wages of sin are death, the Bible says. But the wages of Jesus are life. And if you will let go of your selfish ways and say, God, I have ignored you and I have ignored your design for my life. And today I want to follow you. Or today I recognize you have prepared for me and you have prepared in King Jesus.More sermons on Matthew →
