The disciples brought the colt to Jesus, and He rode it. As He went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. The whole crowd began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all of Christ’s miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! (Luke 19:35-38) 1
Jesus, the Powerful One
In his sermon on Isaiah chapter 9, Pastor Ken Langley spoke about Christ’s life and ministry. He said that the emotional power of this chapter lies in the cumulative effect of the Messiah’s titles. Jesus’ names communicate more than their sum. Spoken together, or sung, as in Handel’s Messiah, they convey a sense of Christ’s majesty that can’t be captured by any single one of them alone.
Jesus is the King of the universe who labored 33 years on earth in obscurity. He was meek and mild in many ways, humbly serving the people whom He had every right to reign over, quietly preparing to lay down His life for us. Today, Jesus claims the throne of our lives. He is God’s anointed Prophet, Priest, and King, the Last Adam, the Bright and Morning Star, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Christ is victorious in the battle for our salvation, and His hands bring healing. He is the Second Person of the Trinity, Son of David, Son of Man, the Word of God Incarnate, the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.2 What a Savior!
This post builds on Jesus’ Grit for our Glory (Part 1), (Part 2), and (Part 3)
King of the World
Christ declared Himself to be the King of Israel, and this angered the Jewish leaders.3 Jesus always has been and always will be Lord of lords, King of kings, and Ruler of all nations on earth.4 Christ is the Creator and Master of every individual and every group of people, whether they realize it or not.
Praise God, everybody! Applaud the Lord, all people! His love has taken over our lives. God’s faithful ways are eternal. Hallelujah! (Psalm 117, The Message)
Christ’s kingdom began as a small mustard seed, and the Holy Spirit is growing it into a huge tree where people from all over the planet come to rest in Jesus’ protection and salvation.5 The worldwide population is now over 8 billion, and over 2.6 billion claim to be Christ-followers.6 That’s over 30%!
The New Testament says: “If you belong to Jesus, you are Abraham’s true children. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.”7 God’s way of salvation in Christ was never a matter of race. It’s always been a matter of the Lord’s grace (undeserved favor). God adopts everyone who trusts in Jesus the Messiah.
Of the greatness of Christ’s government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:7)
Here again are the Stages of Christ’s Kingship:
- Jesus established it by His life, death, and resurrection, and brought us into His family.
- Christ continues building His kingdom on Earth from Heaven. As King of kings, He keeps on saving, helping, keeping, and loving us.
- Jesus will finalize His kingdom in the New Heaven and New Earth. He will perfectly restore us and His whole universe.
Zechariah’s Messianic Foretellings
This man was an Old Testament prophet around 500 BC. His name means “The Lord Remembers,” telling us that God will never forget His covenant. We will be His people forever. Zechariah prophesied that Jesus would be betrayed and sold for 30 pieces of silver, and pierced for us on the Cross.8 He even predicted that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, would be struck and that His disciples would be scattered.9
The prophet also describes the coronation of Joshua (Yeshua in Aramaic), a priestly ruler who will rebuild the temple. Jesus Christ does much more.10 He is our Great High Priest and conquering King who makes His followers like living stones, built into a spiritual house. The Lord makes us a holy temple for Himself, built together to become a dwelling place in which God lives by His Holy Spirit.11
In humility, Christ once rode on a donkey in humility. Soon, He will arrive again as King on His royal horse in final victory.12 In Jesus’ First and Second Comings, the Lord acts upon His promises to save us and govern us in His love. Praise Him!
Long ago, God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, He has spoken to us through His Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son He created the universe. Jesus radiates God’s own glory and expresses God’s very character, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command. When Christ had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. (Hebrews 1:1-3)
What do the Palms Mean?
In ancient Egypt, palms were carried in funeral processions, representing eternal life. Palms, along with other tree branches, were used during the Hebrew Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) and by the Jewish Maccabeans when they celebrated their victory over the Greeks around 160 BC. In the ancient Near East, people covered the path of VIPs with their cloaks, as we do with our “red carpet welcome.” Palms later became a symbol of Christian martyrs and their spiritual victory over death.
People praised Jesus on the first Palm Sunday and laid down branches. Better still is to lay down our lives before Christ, recalling His historic triumphal entry and His present and future kingship over our lives and our world. Let’s worship now and all year long with grateful love and service.
An Ancient Prayer: Psalm 118
Psalm 118 is a joyful hymn of thanksgiving, celebrating God’s everlasting kindness, mercy, and deliverance from enemies. It begins and ends like this, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.”
The Psalm calls us to trust the Lord rather than human beings and foretells the coming of Christ, the “rejected stone” who becomes the cornerstone and capstone. Verse 24 says, “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psam 118 is often quoted in the New Testament.
The people sang part of this Psalm in praise of Christ, greeting Him as He entered Jerusalem, as a descendant of King David.
Lord, save us! God, grant us success and prosperity!
Blessed is He (Jesus) who comes in the Lord’s name.
From the Lord’s house, we bless you.
The Lord is God, and He has made His light shine on us…
You are my God, and I will praise and exalt you.
(Psalm 118:25-28)
All of Psalm 118 is worthy of more study and reflection, but even this portion is wonderful to pray, chant, and sing anytime, anywhere!
If we want to prepare for our final destination, we should worship God here on earth. Our arrival in Heaven will only be a continuation of what we have already begun. Praise is the language of Heaven and the language of the faithful on Earth. (Erwin Lutzer)
| Christ has died. | Christ is risen. | Christ will come again. (Lutheran Liturgy) |
Live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back tomorrow.
(Martin Luther)
Dying, You destroyed our death. Rising, You restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory. (A prayer)
Notes (various Bible translations): 1 This echoes the angel’s praise of Christ in Luke 2:1-15. 2 Ken Langley, Zion, Illinois. 3 Matt 21:14-16; Luke 19:39-40; John 19:19-20. 4 Rev 17:14. 5 Ezek 17:23-24; Matt 13:31-32. 6 2025 Pew Research Center study. 7 Gal 3:7-9,13-14,18,26-29, and many more. 8 Zec 11:12-13; Matt 26:15, 27:1-10; Zec 12:10; John 19:34-37; Rev 1:7. 9 Zec 13:7; Matt 26:31,56; Mark 14:27. 10 Zec 6:9-15. 11 Eph 2:19-22; 1 Pet 2:4-8. 12 Zec 9:9; Matt 21:1-5; Rev 19:11-16.