Now back to Matthew chapter 21,
turn there, Matthew 21. I'm taking the title for the
message from what is said in verse 9. Matthew 21 at verse
9. And the multitudes went before,
and that followed, this is the Lord coming into town, riding
on this donkey, went before, and that followed cried, saying,
Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David.
The Son of David. Came the Lord Jesus Christ, the
greater David. Blessed is he that cometh in
the name of the Lord. Blessed is the King that cometh
in the name of the Lord. Hosanna to the highest. He is the most high God. He's
the most high God. So I want to use as a title,
Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
King, King of Kings, Lord of Lords. He's always been King
because He's God. The Lord Jesus Christ is King,
eternal, immortal, the only wise God, our Savior, as Paul writes
in 1 Timothy 6. He is the King of kings. We study
in the book of the Revelation, chapter 19, verse 16. He is King of kings and Lord
of lords by the unchanging, almighty, eternal decree of God. God had
made that same Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
He's not Lord or King by something we have done. He's not lord and
king by a democratic process. We're not going to vote him in
or vote him out. He's king by God's eternal decree. When he came here, as God manifests
in the flesh, remember the wise men said, where is he that is
born king? He was king when he got here.
When He lived among men as the God-man, we always say the God-man
mediator, He demonstrated and revealed that He was and is King
of all the earth. You remember when those disciples
in Matthew chapter 8 we studied not too long ago, when they were
in that ship and the storm came up and the Lord was there sleeping
as a real man, wearied in body, sleeping, and the disciples all
alarmed that they're sinking, and the ship is taking in water,
and woke him up and said, Master, don't you care that we perish?
Oh, ye of little faith. And he stood forth and rebuked
the wind, and there was a great calm. And they said, what manner
of man is this? He's king. He's king of all creation. There's no such thing as mother
nature. He's King of all things. King of all things. He controls
the weather, the wind, the waves, the sea, the clouds, all things.
But when He came here as God manifest in the flesh, He demonstrated
and revealed that He was God of all the earth, King of all
the earth. When Pilate brought Him forth, we're going to read
in a few weeks over in Matthew 26, 27, He said to the people
of this same crowd, now this is amazing, Pilate said unto
him, Behold your king. Remember what they said? Away
with him. Crucify him. We have no king
but Caesar. This same crowd that said, Hosanna,
blessed be the name of the Lord. Now they deal 180 and say, away
with him. Crucify him. We only need Caesar. We have no king. We don't want
him to be our king. The soldiers in the judgment
hall, when the Lord was arrested, when they mocked Him, you know
what character they mocked Him as? King, remember? They stripped
Him of His garments. They put a scarlet robe on Him,
the color of royalty. They put a crown of thorns on
His head. The King ought to have a crown.
They put a mock scepter in His right hand and they bowed the
knee and mocked him and said, hail king of the Jews. They mocked
him as the king. When he died to save his people
from their sins, in what character did he die as the king? You remember
Pilate wrote that accusation when they crucified someone,
if he was a thief, they wrote above his head, he was a thief
or he was a murderer. You know what they wrote over
the over the head of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the
Jews. And those religious Pharisees
got all upset at Pilate, said, say that he said he was the King
of the Jews. Pilate said, no, what I've written,
I've written. And they wrote that down in Hebrew. They wrote that down in the Greek.
They wrote that down in the Latin, that all could look at him and
say, this is the King. The Hebrew language, the religious
language, the Greek language, the common people's language,
the Latin language, the intellectual, all could see and read He is
the King, the King. When He ascended to glory and
sat down, when He by Himself purged our sin, He sat down on
the throne of God as our King, our King. And when He comes again,
He's coming back as King, right? You remember our study in the
Revelation? Behold, He cometh. He cometh. Now, I trust that's
the confession of all of us here this morning, that Christ is
our Lord, our King, our God, and our Savior. Like what the
Apostle Thomas said when he Looked upon the risen Lord, he said,
my Lord and my God. You're my Lord and you're my
God. He is God our Savior. He's all our salvation. He is
our King. He's King in salvation too. He
will have mercy on whom He will have mercy. Aren't you glad that
He's King? We say with David, bless the
Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless His holy
name. He is our King, King of kings. Now we see, as we look at the
first 11 verses in Matthew 21, we see the Lord of glory has
set His face like a flint. He's marching toward the hour
appointed of the Father to give His life a ransom for many. Remember,
look just across the page in Matthew 20 verse 17, and Jesus
going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the
way and said unto them, Behold, we go up, to Jerusalem, the Son
of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the
scribes, and they shall condemn him to death. They shall deliver
him to the Gentiles to mock, to scourge, to crucify, and the
third day God's going to raise him from the dead. The Lord knew
exactly why he was going there. He knew exactly what he was going
to accomplish. And he knew exactly when he'd
be raised again from the dead. This is, if we look at this from
here on out to the end of our study in the book of Matthew,
this is the Lord's last week upon this earth as the man, Christ
Jesus. week, six days from what we read
right here, the Lord is crucified for our sin. And the Lord lays
down his life for us willingly. He said, no man takes my life
from me. I have power to lay it down. I have power to take
it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father." Over in John chapter 12 where this story is given,
it says there that he goes to Jerusalem to observe the Jewish
Passover. The Lord Jesus Christ went not
only to observe the Passover, but to be our Passover, to be
our Passover Lamb. Paul writes about it this way,
Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us. The Lord Jesus Christ
took our sin and his own body on the tree, and because he suffered
the wrath of God due our sin, he passes over us because Christ
paid the debt. Hallelujah, he ransomed me. We
can sing that. He is the Lamb of God that takes
away our sin. Now this event, such an important
event, All the Old Testament Scriptures tell us that someone
is coming. Someone is coming. Now He's here. Now He's here. This event of
the Lord entering into Jerusalem as the Lamb of God, as our King,
as our God and Savior, is given by all four, what we call the
four Gospel writers. Matthew, 21, Mark chapter 11,
Luke 19, and John 12. Now, why is that significant?
This is one of the few events that all four writers point our
attention to because it's so important. You remember, Paul
writes, in the fullness of time, God sent forth his son, made
of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under
the law. This is that time. This is that
hour appointed of God. Few events of the Lord's earthly
ministry are recorded by all four gospel writers, but this
one is because it requires special attention, special attention.
All things must be done to fulfill Scripture as it says there in
Matthew 21 verse 4, all this was done that it might be fulfilled which
is spoken by the prophet. And that Zachariah prophesied
of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord our God dies
for our sin according to the scripture. according to Scripture. He dies for our sin. How that
He dies for our sin? According to the Scripture. To
Him give all the prophets witness. Isaiah writes about Him. Jeremiah
writes about Him. About the Lord coming. The Lord's
sacrifice for us. He dies according to the will
of God. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. Now, did you put a bookmark
there in Matthew? Matthew 21, and then also turn
over back over here to Luke 19. I want you to see something that's
added here in Luke 19 verse 28. The Lord goes before them ascending
up to Jerusalem. You see that in Luke 19 28? And
when he had thus spoken, he went before ascending up to Jerusalem. Our Lord Jesus Christ has ascended
to the heavenly Jerusalem. And He ascended up before us. Before us. The Lord always goes
before His people. He always goes before us, preparing
the way for us. Remember in John 14, He said,
I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for
you, I'll come again and receive you to Myself. That where I am,
Bear you may be also. In John 10, we read, He put forth
His own sheep, and He goes before them. And the sheep follow Him,
and they know His voice. We studied in Hebrews chapter
6 about our great High Priest. I love that study in the book
of Hebrews. Our great, great High Priest.
Seeing we have a great High Priest who has entered into the heavenlies,
the Lord Jesus Christ. But in Hebrews 6.20, He's called
the forerunner. The forerunner. The forerunner
is entered for us, made a high priest forever, after the order
of Melchizedek. And then Hebrews 9, 24, we read,
for Christ did not enter into the holy places made with hand,
which are figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to
appear in the presence of God for us right now. He's gone before. guarantees our entrance because
He's already entered in. The forerunner has entered in
for us. Now here's the second thing I
want us to look at, back to Matthew 21. Our Lord has all power and
all knowledge over all things. When they drew nigh unto Jerusalem
and were come to Bethesda and to the Mount of Olives, then
sent Jesus two disciples, saying, Go into a village over against
you, and straightway you shall find an ashtide and a colt with
her. Loose them, and bring them. If
any man say aught to you, you shall say, The Lord hath need
of them, and straightway He will send them." Now here we see the
Lord commanding, controlling everything, doesn't He? It's
just not that he looked over down in the valley and he saw,
I see a coat over there, I see an ass with a coat. It's not that he saw that way.
The Lord sees all things with a perfect, omnipotent, omniscient
eye. He knows all things because he
has decreed all things from all eternity. The Lord has all power
and he has all knowledge. The Lord Jesus Christ is in complete
control of everything, demonstrating that He is the Lord of heaven
and earth, that He is God, the King of all the earth. He commanded
His two disciples to go where to go, what to do, and what they
would find, and as fate would have it, you know that's wrong,
right? as God ordered it, so they found
exactly what the Lord would say. We can believe His Word. If He
says that, if He says that salvation is by grace through the blood
and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, that's the way
it is. That's the way it really is.
He commanded these two disciples to go, where to go, what to do,
and they found exactly as the Lord had said. All things are
naked and open before the blessed Lord. His foreknowledge of all
things and all events is based upon His eternal decree. His
knowing before is based upon His decree of all things from
all eternity. We read in Romans 11, verse 36,
Of Him, through Him, to Him are all things, to whom be glory
both now and forever. Amen. And then James says this
in Acts 15, Known unto God are all His works from the beginning. And I was listening to our radio
program this morning from Ecclesiastes chapter 3, and it reminded me
of another scripture on this point in the message. Let me
just read it to you. It's found in Isaiah 46. You know, it says there that
the Lord had declared the end from the beginning. How can He
do that? He's the King. He's God. He knows
all things and has all power. Now listen to this, Isaiah 46,
9. Remember the former things of old, for I am God, there is
none else. I am God, there is none like
me. Okay? The only just God and Savior.
Declaring the end from the beginning, from ancient time to things that
are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand, I will do
all my pleasure. And then he says, calling a ravenous
bird from the east, he called that little coat for his purpose
to sit on. Calling a ravenous bird from
the east, the man that would execute my counsel from a far
country, I've spoken it, I bring it to pass, I've purposed it,
I'll do it. That's the God that we worship.
The only place a sinner will worship is at the throne of the
Sovereign Almighty God. We bow and we submit to His Lordship,
His Kingship. We are told in Matthew 9, when
those four friends brought that paralyzed man to be healed, And
it says there that the Lord knew their thoughts. All things are
naked and open before Him with whom we have to do. He knew their
thoughts. In John 2, it says there that
He needed not that any man should testify of man, for He knew what
was in man. The Lord knows all things. We're
told in another place, He knew from the beginning who they were
that would believe on Him, and He knew who would betray Him.
Judas was no surprise to him. He was a reprobate from the beginning.
Knowledge like this is a particular attribute and characteristic
only of God our Savior. Passages like these are meant
to remind us that the man Christ Jesus is not only a real man,
but he's God over all, blessed forever. that was with God and
the Word that was God, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among
us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth." We believe that Jesus
Christ is God. God manifests in the flesh. Now,
the third thing I want us to notice is this. We have before
us a good spiritual picture of the Lord Jesus Christ calling
out His people. in the Lord loosening this wild
coat and bringing him to the Lord, and the Lord Jesus Christ
sitting upon him. It says in Mark 11 and in Luke
19, it emphasizes there, never any man sat on that coat. In other words, it was an unbroken. No one had ever ridden that coat. It was a wild coat until they
met the Lord. And that wild coat submitted
to the Lord Jesus Christ. This story of our blessed Lord
riding this wild coat through the city is a picture of the
Lord in his sovereign power, electing and fetching irresistible
grace, calling us out and humbling us in his sight. We see the Lord
display of his mighty omnipotence over all things. His power and
providence, He arranges all things, all things in the affairs of
men to work His eternal purpose. His power over the wills of men,
He makes them willing in the day of His power. He said, the
Lord hath need of Him, bring Him. We see His power over nature,
over animals. He rides this wild ass's colt. into the town and there's a lot
of commotion going around. Animals spook easy, don't they?
This one didn't. because he was under the complete
control of the Lord Jesus Christ. And here's what we can learn
from this. The Lord has all power to save sinners, his people,
from their sin. He will conquer all his people,
overcome them, break them, arrest their stubborn will, and ride
them and use them for his own glorious purpose. Aren't you
glad? He came to seek and to save the
lost. He makes us willing in the day
of His power. We can safely rest and trust
our great God and Savior. With God, all things are possible. We can be assured that He is
almighty to save. You remember back where it says over here in Matthew
19, when the disciples said, verse 25, Matthew 19, when the
disciples heard it, they were exceeding amazed and said, Who
then can be saved? The Lord Jesus Christ beheld
them and said unto them, With men it is impossible, but with
God all things are possible. Look at Matthew 21 verse 10 for
just a minute. Here's a very vital question.
Who is this? Who is this one that can save
sinners like this? Well, He's the only just God
and Savior. He is the one that is mighty
to save. Who is this that comes from Edom
with dyed garments from Basra? He that speaks in righteousness,
mighty to save. That's who He is. He's the mighty
Savior. Who then can be saved? With men? Impossible. With God? Nothing's
too hard for the Lord, is it? He came to save sinners. I'm
going to take my place right there. He came to seek and to
save the lost. By nature, I'm confessing, I'm
a lost sinner. He came to save the chief of
sinners. I'm going to confess and submit. I'm the chief one.
He came to save sinners. The next thing I want us to see,
I want us to take a good look at the Lord's poverty. His humility
as the Son of Man. It says there in verse 7, And
they brought the ass and the coat, and put on them their clothes,
and they set Him thereon, and a great multitude spread their
garments in the way, and cut down branches from the trees,
palm branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. We see the Lord's poverty, don't
we? They cast their garments upon
the colt. The Lord did not ride into Jerusalem
on a white stallion with a custom-made saddle of leather, silver, and
gold. He rode into a town on a borrowed
ass's colt. He rode into town with a saddle
made of borrowed clothes. Think about it for a minute,
his poverty, his poverty, his humility. In Luke 9 we read,
the foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, the son
of man had nowhere to lay his head. Poverty. Poverty. His humility. When he was born,
he was laid in a borrowed manger. A cow trough. Born in a cow barn. There was
no room for him in the inn. He never owned a piece of land.
When he crossed the Sea of Galilee, it was in a borrowed boat. When
he died for our sin, according to Scripture, he was buried in
a borrowed tomb. Yet, as the Almighty God, he
owns all things. You see his humility? He thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, but took upon himself the
form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. And being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. And yet, as Almighty
God, he owns all things. Listen to this scripture. He
says, for every beast of the field, the forest is mine. Psalm
50, verse 10. And the cattle upon a thousand
hills. They're mine. I know all the
fowls of the mountain and the wild beasts of the field. They
all belong to me. They're mine. If I were hungry,
I wouldn't tell you, for the world is mine and the fullness
thereof. He created all things by the
word of His power. He owns all things. He sustains
all things. Yet, He willingly impoverished
Himself with flesh to accomplish our salvation. You talk about
humility. 2 Corinthians 8, 9. I love this scripture. For you
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, though He was rich, rich
beyond description, rich in power, rich in holiness. Yet for your
sake He became poor that you through His poverty might be
made rich." We've been made heirs of God and joint heirs with the
Lord Jesus Christ. Here's the next thing I want
us to consider. Verse 8, 9, and 10 in Matthew 21. Very great multitudes spread
their garments in the way. And others cut down branches
from the trees and strawed them in the way." They're giving him,
I don't know if this is where that red carpet, you know the
stars, they walk on the red carpet. I don't know if that's where
this comes from. But they were making a path easy
for him to ride down. They stride him in the way of
the multitudes that went before and that followed, cried, saying,
Hosanna, Hosanna to the Messiah. When they say, Son of David,
remember that blind man said, Lord, thou Son of David, have
mercy on me. And these people are saying the
same thing. Son of David, Messiah, the Lord. Blessed be he that
cometh in the name of the Lord. And they're quoting from Psalm,
you see the reference there, Psalm 118 verse 26. Blessed is
he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna to the Most
High God. Who is this? Who is this one
riding on the ass's colt? He's the Most High God. He's
the Most High God. Oftentimes, we've seen the Lord
of glory avoiding large crowds, seeking seclusion, He was often
in the wilderness, in the desert, never sought the public eye or
called attention to himself. But now his hour has come. You
remember many times he said, my hour has not yet come, not
yet come. And then when he prayed in John
17, he said, Father, the hour has come. The hour has come.
Now is the time when He comes to accomplish our salvation in
a most public way. This is the fullness of the time,
God sending His Son to put away our sin. It says there in Matthew 28, I'm looking for the
word, verse 10. And when He was come into Jerusalem,
all the city was moved. All the city was moved. Now,
if you look that word up, it has the sense of the meeting
the people trembled. The people were disturbed. I mean, they were paying attention. All the city, all the city was
moved. Everyone sat up and took notice. Some were moved with wonder.
Some were moved with joy. Some were moved with envy and
anger. The Pharisees, look right down
the page here, we read it in Luke 19, but right down the page
here, look at verse 15. And when the chief priests and
scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children
crying in the temple saying, Hosanna to the son of David,
they were sore displeased. Remember they said, the master
rebuked those people. And he said, if they don't praise
the Lord, the stones and the rocks will cry out to praise
Him. Some were moved with wonder and
joy, some were moved with envy and anger. The gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ has the same effect on all who hear it today. The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ to some is a saver of life, and to life, to others,
It's a saber of death unto death. It is only His grace that has
made us to differ. The Lord of glory rides into
Jerusalem on this occasion. The way He did, as it says there
in verse 4 and 5, all this was done that He might fulfill the
Scripture. All the Old Testament says someone's
coming. To Him give all the prophets
witness. Spoken by the prophet Zechariah
9.9. Tell ye the daughters of Zion, tell them, God's people,
God's elect, behold the king. Behold my servant, my elect,
in whom my soul delighteth. Isaiah 42.1. Behold the king
cometh, he's meek and lowly in heart, sitting upon an ass, and
the coat the fold of an ass. Remember our Lord said in Matthew
11, all you who are laboring, heavy laden, come unto me, and
I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find
what? Rest. Rest for your soul. Rest for your soul. All this
was done that the Scripture might be fulfilled. He is the King
that is come. to accomplish salvation. He is
the just God. He's the just one. He's the one
who has salvation, who accomplished salvation. Call His name Jesus. He shall save His people from
their sins. Through the Lord Jesus Christ,
His blood atonement, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Now lastly is this. I want you
to notice the praise and worship given to the King of Kings and
Lord of Lords. Verse nine again, Matthew 21,
the multitudes went before and it followed saying, Hosanna to
the son of David. Blessed is he that cometh, cometh,
behold he cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna, Hosanna
to the highest. Hosanna, we know if you look
that word up, it means, oh, save us. Isn't that our prayer? Oh, God, save me. Have mercy
upon me, the sinner. Hosanna, save us. This is what
all of us are in great need of, salvation. Salvation, we know,
was found in Christ, is it not? Salvation, as we've said over
the years, salvation's in a person. in a person. He that hath a son
hath life. Not in a profession, not in a
pool, in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. It's looking to Him.
It's looking to Him for all of salvation. How shall we escape
if we neglect so great salvation? When they brought the 40-day-old
baby, the Simeon in the temple, The Lord had told Simeon that
he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ. And when
they brought him into the temple to do for him according to the
law, to circumcise that eight day old child, Simeon looked at him, Took that
baby up, looked him right in the face, said, I'm ready to
die. I've seen thy salvation. Salvation's in a person. He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. That's Psalm 118. It says,
Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord. I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Blessed be he that cometh in
the name of the Lord. Save now, O Lord. Hosanna. That's what he's saying.
I pray that that's the cry of our heart. Blessed. I hope we can pray in our heart.
Verse 9 again. Blessed is he that cometh. Blessed
is the king that cometh in the name of the Lord. Lord, save
me. Save me. Now. Today's the day
of salvation. You don't have tomorrow. You
don't have tomorrow. I don't either. I don't either. May God be merciful to us. He
delights to show mercy. I know that. He will have mercy. I know that. I'm going to ask
Him. I'm going to ask Him. I pray God will give you grace
to do that.