Zachariah's Amazing Prophecy About the Messiah | Zachariah 9:9 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (3/29/26)

The Lord needs them, and he will send them at once. This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet saying, say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming to you humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up saying, who is this? And the crowd said, this is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple. And he overturned the tables of the money changers and this and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, it is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did and the children crying out in the temple, Hosanna to the son of David, they were indignant.

And he said to them, do you hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them, yes. Have you never read out of the mouths of infants and nursing babes, you have prepared praise? Of the city to Bethany and lodged there. What a wonderful Sunday to remember these words.

Hosanna to the son of David. Come save us son of David. Deliver us son of David. And you know what? Christian, he did.

We have been brought from death to life, and we can rejoice. And we wait expectantly for a second coming where we will see our the end of all things and our glorification with him forever. Let's pray. Father, Lord, we rejoice in you today. Lord, we give you all praise, all glory, all honor because you alone are worthy of it.

Father, help our hearts today. Lord, cleanse our hearts from sin, distractions. Cleanse our hearts from being led away by lesser things. May we be satisfied and may we delight only in you today. Father, we love you.

Teach us to love you more. Open our eyes to behold wondrous things out of your word today and satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Amen.

Church, will you please stand and give your praise to the Lord?

For by your sacrifice you won the victory. Now, overall you reign you

Father, we we hail Christ as king over all, king over our hearts, king over the church, king over all the nations. Lord, we've come to celebrate your son, our savior. And we pray, Lord, that if we have lost our vision of just how splendid he is, that you would use every aspect of this meeting to sharpen our understanding of just how beautiful and majestic our Lord is. And for those who have never ever tasted and seen that the Lord is good, use this service, God, to bring salvation to this house, salvation to souls, Lord. We know that this is a very important week, and we pray that every time we gather in your name, your power, your presence would be there.

We trust that you will. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. Why don't you welcome somebody before you're seated on this Lord's Day service? What a joy it is to gather.

What a blessing it is to see your faces here. If you're a visitor, a special welcome to you. We're glad that you can join us on this Lord's Day. A very special Sunday, as we know, recognizing Christ's triumphal entry into the holy city to make that declaration of his true identity. If, if it's on your heart to give, this is the part of the service where we do that.

And if you're unaware, we are in a very special season as a church. For many years, we've been praying for a brand new home, and God has answered that prayer. And so we are looking to enter into that new facility very soon, but we're also hoping to enter into it without any, concern for a loan or or debt. And and the the giving since that announcement has been so encouraging. And, if you desire to give towards that cause, you can just make a note in any memo or any kind of, online giving that this is going towards the building because we have been seeing giving, but, in some cases, there isn't a note for that.

So even if you have given already and you you wanted to to go towards the building, you can always email us and just say, hey. I gave this amount on this day, and, I I intended to give this towards the building, and I missed that. So please just make a note of it, and that would be helpful for us as well. And we're we're so grateful. We're excited.

Really, there's one major inspection left, and it's not even that serious. And if that clears, then, it's it's possible that we can close even sooner. So the official closing date is May 4, but that can change. And, if that will happen this is our last Easter service week, in this building. Yeah.

So many great memories, so many great testimonies over the past four years, and I have no doubt that God is gonna give us even more testimonies in the years ahead. Well, just because we're planning to move, this doesn't mean things aren't happening here. So there are a few things I gotta bring to your attention. Couple of events that are coming up. Number one, this is for our men's basketball outing.

Men, I I've made this known to you already and I just wanna remind you in case you don't know about this and you'd like to join these kind of times of fellowship, on April 11 at 02:00, the men of this church and others who are outside of this church will be playing some sports together namely basketball. And if you wanna sign your name up, the the sound booth there, there's a sheet. You can put your name and your information and you can get notifications. But I'm just dropping that in your head so you can place it into your calendar that April 11 is when we will be doing just that. So you've been asking about our yearly conference, that takes place every August, and you're you're asking for the exact date.

So our Maranatha conference this year will begin on August 27 until August 30. So if you need to take time off work, if you need to plan and organize around that, those are the official dates. Registration is not open, but just again for you to mark that in your calendars. And, we're so looking forward to that, and we're excited to see what God will do in that time. As you know, today begins Holy Week, and so our regular services will not be as regular.

This upcoming Friday will be a Good Friday service at 07:00 in the evening here in the sanctuary, and we will be breaking bread and turning our hearts to songs that are focused on the cross, and it will be a time of meditation and reflection. So there will be a brief message as well that's taking place again this upcoming Friday at seven. And as you know, resurrection Sunday is next week, and we will be coming together celebrating the fact that our Christ is alive. More than that, we're gonna be having potluck food after. I know that's not news to most of us because we do that almost every week.

But what we are asking from the hospitality team that if you do wanna participate in that potluck, if you would kindly consider bringing dessert. And if you plan to bring any kind of dessert, just let the hospitality team know. All the main food and everything else will be taken care of, but, that would be a little bit helpful for us as we anticipate many people to join us for that potluck. As I said earlier, it's an exciting time for us as a church, isn't it? Oh, you can you can feel the joy.

Not that the joy wasn't there before, but we are standing at the threshold of a brand new chapter as a church. And I wanna just read to you a few verses from a Psalm that have been ringing in my heart in light of what's been happening around us because every step up to this point has been so smooth, so Christ honoring, and it's really an answer to our prayers. Because one of the main prayers that we've been praying, not knowing where a new home would be, was was that if God were to provide us a new place, that he would do so in such a way that when people hear about it, they would give God maximum glory. So let me read to you these verses from Psalm one twenty six, a song of ascents. When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy. And they said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us. We are glad. Our God does great things.

And our God is able to do things that when you actually experience his intervention, his provision, you feel like you're in a dream. Is this a dream or is this real? And it's real. And he can do such things that he can fill that mouth of yours and mine with laughter, and more than that, he can move in such a way that even the nations, the unbelieving gentile nations according to the Psalm, cannot help but admit God is doing something there. That has to be God.

And my prayer is that that would be even more true as we get closer and closer to this new step for us as a church. Can we pray and ask god for that? Lord, you have answered our prayers, and you've gone above and beyond our prayers. Now, father, we look to you afresh, and we ask that in the coming weeks as we approach this moment, this turning point for this ministry, that people, believers and unbelievers alike, would not be able to deny this is God almighty. This isn't man.

This isn't human wisdom. This isn't coincidence. This is miraculous. This is evidence that there is a true God who answers prayer, and he has done it for Maranatha Bible Church. So, Lord, we pray that you would receive more glory in the coming weeks.

We pray that you receive glory today and this upcoming Friday and Sunday that your gospel would be preached. It would be loved. It would be obeyed. And that, Lord, this new place would be a platform to preach the gospel to more people because time is short. Time is short, and we want to make best use of our time as a church.

We bless you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's stand church. He has filled our mouths with laughter.

We are glad because the lord has done great things among us.

Yes, Lord. We worship you today. We praise you. Our heart, all our strength, all our mind. And we thank you for this gathering today on this Palm Sunday.

Father, we ask that as we receive your word today, that we would have ears to hear, eyes to see Christ. Would you open our hearts to receive your word, that it would be remembered and retained and applied to our lives. Father, we ask that your word would humble us today, that we would be more in awe of you, more in awe of your ways, and that it would change us from within. May we leave this place with more awe, more fear of you, more love in our hearts for you and for one another. So be with us now, we ask.

Continue to be with us by your spirit, we ask. In Jesus' name, amen.

We have much reason to be celebrating because of the God that we serve. But I wonder if you've ever asked the question why most Christians, most churches set apart the Sunday before Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday to celebrate what is commonly known as Palm Sunday. What's this day really about? Is this just tradition? Is this just us going through the motions?

I wanna propose to you today that one of the primary reasons we should be rejoicing and turning our attention on what is recognized as the triumphal entry is because on this day, Jesus Christ of Nazareth fulfilled ancient prophecy. Moreover, it is at this event that Christ strategically and intentionally entered into Jerusalem to declare the truth of his messiahship in the most open and public way that he ever had in his three year ministry. We have to remember that Christ did, during his ministry, reveal himself as Messiah, but it was frequently to individuals, and it was mainly private. But on this day, Jesus Christ decided to present himself as such for all to see and all to hear. And the reason is because he is who the prophets pointed to.

And the way that he chose to do it at this point was to fulfill what one prophet said the Messiah would do five hundred years before Christ even entered into our world. Many of you are familiar with the common scripture that is quoted at this time of the year, but it's worth revisiting. So turn with me in your bibles to Zechariah chapter nine, and let's look at verse nine together. Zechariah nine verse nine. Rejoice greatly, oh daughter of Zion.

Shout aloud, oh daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you, righteous and having salvation as he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Lord, this is our portion today in your word. We pray that it would be delivered and received in power. We pray that it would do something in our hearts.

We pray that it would help us fall deeper in love with Jesus Christ. Lord, we thank you for your word. Thank you that we have access to all of it. Thank you that it is the reason why we are saved. It is the reason why we can grow.

It is the reason why we can have hope and joy and peace. And it is the reason why we can know you. And we pray that we would know you deeper through this service. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

While all the gospel accounts record how Jesus entered into Jerusalem on a donkey, it was only Matthew and John who explicitly quotes Zechariah when he did so. This is a common connection to most believers. They understand how Christ fulfilled this prophecy, but what I want to show today is that what Zechariah is saying here is much more profound in Christ fulfilling it than we might have realized. There is so much more going on here than Jesus Christ displaying himself in humility. Although that is paramount.

That is wonderful. We do serve a humble king. There is much more to understand about how Christ fulfilling this says much more about him. And the first thing that I believe we have to do is consider what Zechariah's words in this verse meant to his original audience. Have you ever thought about that?

What did his original listeners hear when Zechariah preached this to them? And I think it's worth examining who Zechariah is, number one, and who are his listeners, number two. So did you turn to Zechariah nine? Go to Zechariah one and look at verse one with me. If you've been with us here on Fridays, then this shouldn't be too new for you because we've looked at Zechariah briefly through the book of Ezra.

But let's look at it here in a new lens. Zechariah one verse one. It reads, in the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah the son of Berekiah, son of Iddo, saying so Zechariah is a prophet. Right? It's clear.

It's obvious. But the timing of his prophetic ministry is what's so vital to grasp. He began preaching in this way in the second year of Darius. What does that inform us about? It informs us that Zechariah was raised up by God after the people of Judah were taken from their land in the Babylonian exile.

And more than that, he began preaching after some of the Jews returned to Jerusalem after enduring some time in captivity in Babylonia. So Zechariah is someone here who is preaching after the people were removed and after some of them came back, which makes chapter nine verse nine all the more enthralling. Because what the Bible teaches is that the last king that Judah has ever known was Zedekiah. That's what we see at the end of the book of second Kings. And since Zedekiah's time, there was no king.

Even after the people returned to Jerusalem, even though they were restored to their homeland, the monarchy was never revived. God did use very important leaders to bring the people back to the Holy Land. Men like Ezra, men like Zerubbabel, men like Nehemiah, but none of them were kings. Ezra was a priest. Zerubbabel and Nehemiah were appointed governors, nothing more.

Nothing more. In fact, you'll notice something interesting about most biblical books that were written after the exile. They're known as the post exilic books, like what we have here in Zechariah. Look at verse one again. In the eighth month in the second year of Darius.

Something happens with these authors after the exile. They write their books differently than those who wrote before the exile. So you don't have to turn to these references, just listen to them very carefully. That's Zechariah one one in the second year of Darius. Listen to Haggai one one.

Haggai one one who was another prophet during the same time. It says here in Haggai one one, in the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak the high priest. Again, in the second year of Darius. Listen to how Ezra opens his book in Ezra one one. In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, and it goes on.

I'm not sure if you've noticed this. It's subtle, I'll admit that, but if you look closely, these biblical authors are doing something very different than those who wrote before this massive moment known as the exile. They date their writings according to foreign kings. On your own time, I encourage you to look at Isaiah, for example, Jeremiah, other prophets, and look at how they place their time stamps regarding their prophecies. They refer to the kings of Judah.

They refer to the kings of Israel in some cases. But then after the exile, the prophets don't. Do you know why? There are no more kings. And so now they are looking to empires and rulers who are not directly connected to the people of God, obviously, to put their messages into context.

And so you can imagine how shocking it must have been for Zechariah's audience among the first to return to Jerusalem when he said to them, rejoice greatly, oh daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, oh daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you. A king is coming to us? Who?

From where? It's been decades upon decades since we had a king. And even our own prophets refer to other kings and now all of a sudden you're telling us that a king is coming to us? When? And here's what makes Zechariah nine nine even more glorious.

When you consider what other prophets are saying about this, namely, what would come about the people after their exile, it makes this shocking. Here's what I mean. There are other prophecies made that show that even after the suspension of the monarchy, there would be another king, but it wouldn't be any ordinary king. That the next king that would come after the kingdom of Israel and Judah lay dormant would be the king, the Messiah, the son of David, the one who would accomplish what no other king before could ever do. And one of the strongest cases for this, that the next king that Judah and Israel as a nation should expect will be the final one, is is in the book of Ezekiel.

Go to Ezekiel chapter 21. This is not a very known prophecy, and it's a shame because it is so powerful. Ezekiel was a prophet in Babylonia. He was not a prophet in Judah. He was not a prophet in Israel.

He was among the exiles, and he prophesied from Babylon to encourage the people in the land with him and those who remained in Judah. You have to remember that the exile of the people of Judah was not in one moment. It happened in three deportations, and Ezekiel was among the second group that were removed from their homes. And God used them though a way to give encouragement and primarily warning about the final judgment that is looming. The people still thought, we we still have our king.

We still have our people. Surely, God is not gonna remove us from our land. And Ezekiel is one of the main mouthpieces that's saying, hey, it's coming. It's coming. Yeah.

We're the second deportation, but there's a final one coming and it's gonna settle everything once and for all, and God's judgment will come to fruition. And here's one of the ways that he says it. Are you there in Ezekiel 21? Scroll down with me here to verse 25. Ezekiel 21 verse 25.

And you, oh profane wicked one, prince of Israel, whose day has come, the time of your final punishment. Pause. Who is he speaking about here? Who's the wicked one? The last king of Israel, Zedekiah.

The kingdom was divided, yet Judah and Israel was the northern tribes, but here he just mentions them as one, and he calls the last king Zedekiah wicked and profane. And more than that, with prophetic punch. He didn't even call him a king. What does he say? Oh profane wicked one, prince of Israel.

Whose day has come the time of your final punishment. Look at verse 26. Thus says the Lord God, remove the turban and take off the crown. Things shall not remain as they are. Exalt that which is low and bring low that which is exalted.

So you see the warning goes beyond Zedekiah here. Ezekiel also predicts the end of the royal office itself. What does he say? Remove the turban and take off the crown. Things shall not remain as they are.

Now if you read the King James version, verse 26 should read, remove the diadem and the crown. But the Hebrew word for diadem is more accurately turban, the headpiece that a priest would wear. So this is where this is an instance where the ESV and other modern translations are more accurate. Remove the turban, remove the crown, things will not be the same. What's Ezekiel saying here?

The priestly and especially the royal office symbolized by the turban and the crown would never be the same once the people come into exile. In other words, the glory of these functions would be diminished and ultimately their offices would not function. They would cease to be in operation. And that's exactly what happened. There was no king after the exile.

And though there was a brief resurgence of the priesthood, it was never what it was before. This is a staggering prophecy, and thank God it didn't end here. Notice what he says in verse 27. Ezekiel 21 verse 27. A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it.

This also shall not be until he comes, the one to whom judgment belongs, and I will give it to him. What a prophecy. You see what he's saying here? This should take your breath away. The crown is gonna be removed.

The throne will be unoccupied. There will be no monarchy in Israel until he comes. And when he comes, I'm gonna give it all to him.

Who?

That's the question we should be asking and this is where knowing our Old Testament is absolutely crucial because the Bible doesn't spoon feed us with quotations and references all the time. Much more than that, the Bible assumes that you and I have been reading our Bibles. And so when you pick up on certain phrases or languages, you should be able to say, I've seen this before. This is an echo of something that I've read in the past. And that's what Ezekiel is doing here.

Until he comes. That should sound familiar to us because it's an allusion to one of the first prophecies about a royal Messiah back in the book of Genesis. When Jacob looked at each of his sons who would become the tribes of Israel and when he came to Judah, he made an amazing promise. Would you like to know it? Genesis 49.

Look at this with me. Scripture interprets scripture. Genesis forty nine ten. The ESV renders this verse a little differently and I'll explain why in a moment, but most other word for word translations are the same. In Genesis forty nine ten, it reads, the scepter shall not depart from Judah nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until tribute comes to him.

That's where it's different. And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Let me read it to you from the New American Standard. In Genesis forty nine ten, it says, the scepter will not depart from Judah nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until Shiloh comes. Is that what you have in your translation maybe for some?

Until Shiloh comes and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Why do other translations have the word or the name Shiloh while the ESV says until tribute comes? Because the etymology, the original word is a little bit complex. It can mean Shiloh and it can mean one to whom something belongs, one who deserves something. That's why the ESV renders it in the following.

But with whatever translation you go with, one thing is absolutely clear. The prophecy anticipates that Judah will be preeminent among his brothers. He will have a ruling class. He will have a ruling role even of and above his own siblings. You can imagine the shock on the the brothers' faces.

The scepter's coming from his line? Yes. And there's a reason for that, maybe we'll talk about it in the future. But the prophecy is much more precise than this. Yes, there will be a kingdom that will come and it'll be the line of Judah that will have a succession of kings to operate and to regulate that function.

But there's a person in view here. Notice the last part of verse 10, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. There's a person. There's a king among the kings from the line of Judah who will do what no other king could do. And what's that?

This king is not just going to subdue and rule over Israel, but over the world. The obedience of the peoples, the nations, until Shiloh comes, until tribute comes, until he comes. And then Ezekiel, after pronouncing that the royal government would be paralyzed for a time says, until he comes. So we have to step back now and put this all together. We started in Zechariah nine, why did we go to Ezekiel?

Because what Ezekiel is telling us, yes, there is no king now, There will be no kingdom until the one that Genesis speaks about arrives on the scene. And Zechariah who's coming to a people who have not known a king, who can't even imagine a king emerging with all the complexities of the world and geopolitics, adds to Ezekiel's promise and says, you will know when this king comes when he arrives on a donkey. Righteous, humble, and armed with your salvation. And then hundreds of years pass, and you have guys like John and Matthew who say, Jesus of Nazareth is that king. And they quote Zechariah and they apply it to him.

And Jesus himself, this it wasn't accidental what he did. He planned it in order to convey the message. I am that king. And I'm not just a descendant from the line of David, I am the final king. None will come after me.

I will do what the prophet said I would do. You see how deep this is? Now as glorious as it is, as as harmonious as it sounds, like all the prophecies in the old testament pointing to Christ, this one has its objections. And we won't be able to cover all of them today, but I wanna touch on the most common one, from our Jewish friends especially. So you have some Jews who would outright deny that Zechariah nine nine is in fact a messianic prophecy.

They would say that Christians are forcing Jesus into that passage and even the New Testament authors are manipulating it in order for it to seem as though Christ fulfilled it. And besides the biblical evidence that we just sampled, the way you answer this objection is to remind such people that their own rabbinic literature says that this is a messianic prophecy. So I'll give you one example. In the Babylonian Talmud, in the part where you have the Sanhedrin, 98 verse a or part a. You have a rabbi who's dealing with an apparent contradiction.

Here's the contradiction that he's trying to solve. You can read this. He understands that Messiah from Daniel seven will come on a cloud. And then he says, but Messiah will also come on a donkey from Zechariah nine nine. And they try to solve this and they try to reconcile this.

So you know what this rabbi concludes? This is it. If we, the people of Israel, are worthy, our Messiah will come on a cloud. If we are unworthy, he will come on a donkey. This is how they interpret it.

And there are other things in the Talmud that show and reveal that this passage is indeed messianic. To say then that this is not messianic is to deny your own authorities. But there are some Jews who don't go that far. They acknowledge that Zechariah nine nine is in fact a prophecy about the Messiah. But they will challenge us in another way.

They will say the following, it's very convenient for you Christians to quote Zechariah nine nine and attribute it to Christ, but you forgot about Zechariah nine ten. And if you look at Zechariah nine ten, then you'll understand that Jesus in no way could have fulfilled Zechariah's prediction, therefore nullifying him as a candidate to be the Messiah. What does Zechariah nine ten say? Well, some of you already got ahead of me. Let's read it from verse nine to look at it in its totality.

Zechariah nine verse nine again, rejoice greatly, oh daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, o daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you righteous and having salvation as he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Verse 10. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations.

His rule shall be from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. Do you see the supposed dilemma? Do you see the supposed dilemma? Zechariah's prophecy says that the Messiah will not only come riding on a donkey, but that he will usher in universal peace. That he will eliminate Israel's enemies, and that he will, in fact, establish a global reign.

Did your Jesus do that? How do Christians answer this? You know how some Christians answer this? They say, well, well, well, Zechariah nine nine is to be taken literally. The Messiah will in fact be on a donkey and he will present himself in such a way, but Zechariah nine ten should be taken metaphorically.

That this is a illustration, this is poetic language to depict the power of the gospel and the transformation that the Christian message will bring to the world. And I want to say this kindly, the context doesn't allow that. And you and I have to be careful of determining what's literal and what's allegorical whenever it suits us. There is a better answer. There is a better explanation.

And what we have going on here is one of the instances that we find so frequently in the Old Testament of gaps between prophetic declarations. This is a customary component of biblical foretelling. If you were here last week, you you saw this when we spoke about Isaiah 61 verse two where the Messiah will proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God. And Christ comes in Luke chapter four and he says that he is a fulfillment of this prophecy, but he ends it after the year of the Lord's favor. He didn't go on to the day of vengeance of our God.

Why? Because there's a gap. There's a gap of time be between that prophecy. Another example famously is Isaiah chapter nine verse six and seven. To us a child is born, to us a son is given.

And in the same breath, we read about how his government will have no end. What's going on there? The same thing. There's a gap in the prophecy. Zechariah's prophecy is no different.

He's not speaking about Messiah in a single arrival, but in two separate advents. And that is not reading too much into this prophecy. That makes the most sense when you consider all of prophecy concerning the Messiah. Here's what I always ask those who object to this. Many Jews are making the same mistake that the Jews and Jesus' day made.

You focus on all the prophecies of the Son of David, the conquering King, the ruling one, and you neglect the ones where the Messiah suffers. So answer this then. Where does the death of Messiah, suffering of Messiah, burial of Messiah, resurrection of Messiah fit in your understanding of God's plan? In your understanding of God's program for Messiah? And we just got a sample of it from the babble Babylonian Talmud.

Okay. He's coming on the cloud. He's coming on a donkey. So, it's dependent on us how we live and how we obey that will determine how he arrives. And you have other Jews who say, no.

No. No. In order to make sense of this, there must be two messiahs. There's Messiah son of David and Messiah son of Joseph. Messiah son of David is a ruling conquering one.

Messiah son of Joseph is a suffering one who will die in battle. The answer is simple for us as Christians. It's the same Messiah, two advents. And the Bible is honest enough to show us that with many prophecies, especially those concerning the Christ, the timing and the full scope of the mission are not always spelled out as plainly as people might think. And the bible even tells us that.

Did you know that? First Peter, look at chapter one and verse 10. First Peter chapter one verse 10. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully. We have this almost cartoonish understanding of how the prophets prophesied that when the Holy Spirit moved upon these men, they were almost like in a trance like state.

And God took control of their hands and wrote out these prophecies and then they came to us and said, what just happened? That is not how prophecy happens. These men who were used by God were in total control of their faculties, of their personalities, and God used them in their uniqueness to pen down revelation. And Peter's confirming this, that when they prophesied about the grace that was to be yours, they searched and inquired carefully. So they understood, this is God speaking through me.

And then when they came to this revelation, they go, okay, what is this about? And they began to research and don't even doubt that they looked at other prophecies of other prophets and said, does this make sense with this? Does this reconcile with this? Look how specific Peter gets in verse 11. Inquiring what person or time highlight that.

What person or time the spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. So they received revelation about the Messiah, but they didn't fully understand it. And part of the things that they would research with whatever resources they had was, okay, who is this messiah going to be? And when is he going to do what the spirit of God just revealed to me? So in one sentence, he speaks about his humility and his first coming and in the next part, he's speaking about his global messianic reign and you can just imagine how men like Zechariah are trying to understand how this all fits and Peter tells us that they didn't understand it fully.

I'd like to provide an added layer to our explanation of why Zechariah nine ten is not an obstacle for Jesus being the fulfillment of this prophecy. Let's go to John chapter 12. Zechariah nine ten clearly describes what Christ will accomplish at his return. But the point that I wanna make is that when he fulfilled Zechariah nine nine, he also gave a sample of his power, of his majesty, and of his sovereignty. That verse 10 alludes to at the time of his triumphal entry.

I hope that makes sense. But let's read from verse 12 of John 12. The next day, the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him crying out, Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Even the king of Israel. See what they're saying? They're calling Jesus king. Verse 14. And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it just as it is written, fear not daughter of Zion behold your King is coming sitting on a donkey's colt.

Now these next few verses are very important. Please pay attention. Verse 16. His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness.

The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. Have you ever wondered why the crowds greeted Jesus the way they did? Again, we almost have a cartoonish understanding of some of these events. That because of the Passover, the city was crammed with people from all over the world and Jesus decided to come in a certain way and there was just a group of people who kinda gathered others, an audience, and then there's just was a spontaneous parade. And people just got caught up in the emotion and just decided to hail him as king.

That is not what happened. Something took place shortly before Jesus entered into this scene. What was it? He raised Lazarus from the dead, and that created a buzz. In fact, it was the miracle that brought these people though unfortunately, not an accurate understanding, but brought them nonetheless to the point where they say, okay, this has to be the Messiah.

This has to be the king. This has to be the one. He Who else is gonna deliver us? And so even them realize how dangerous this is. They're under Roman oppression.

And they are out loud saying, even the king of Israel. And what brought them to that point? What made them do this? They had a revelation of the extent of the power of Jesus Christ. They had eyewitness accounts telling them, this Jesus raised a man from the dead after being dead for several days.

You can imagine what they're thinking then. Hold on. This Jesus raised somebody from the grave? If death obeys him, what nation, what army, what foreign power can stand against him? If death obeys him, then we have a chance.

Then let let's let's elect him and he will surely deliver us from Rome. And more than that, oh, he can bring to reality what the prophets have said that we will conquer from sea to sea. We will have dominion over all things. Christ demonstrated his power and I argue in a way that alludes to the potential of what verse 10 of Zechariah mentions. You know, it's so funny.

The language of the Pharisees in the very next verse is unintentionally insightful. That they began to perceive that there was this understanding developing among the crowds. They were far less optimistic about it though. Look at verse 19 of John chapter 12. So the Pharisees said to one another, you see that you are gaining nothing.

Look, the world has gone after him. You know, these Pharisees had the habit of saying things, unintentionally prophetic. And this is hyperbolic, sure, but I believe that they are understanding what's taking place here. He's gonna win the world if we don't stop him. Why do I mention all this?

To show that when people say that Jesus could not have fulfilled Zechariah nine nine because he did not accomplish Zechariah nine ten, we can explain that although Zechariah nine ten is going to be fulfilled at his return, when he did do this, he gave a preview of it because he raised a man from the dead. Who can stop such a man? No other king has done this. And this crowd, though they didn't understand the suffering passages, they were so fixed on the conquering ones, caught that. So if anyone points out that Christ did not fulfill the entire prophecy Zechariah made and that Christians only focus on the donkey riding part, remind them why the crowd greeted him the way they did.

He raised somebody from the dead. And in doing so, he shows that he is unlike any other ruler and power and authority, but he didn't unleash all of it the way Zechariah nine ten hoped for. Why? Because there was another mission that needed to be accomplished. Because this king set aside his glory, he set aside his authority so that he can lay down his own life and raise it up three days later.

At the same time, he still keeps in motion this prophecy because he will rule and reign forever when he comes back. My desire in coming into the service was to equip us, because sometimes we quote scriptures and we sing about scriptures, and then when somebody confronts us about our beliefs, we don't know how to answer them. Like, why are we here? Now you know why

we're

here. Now you know how this book is God's book and how Jesus is the Messiah. But let me off offer you just a couple of truths that can stir you on a personal level. How do these things apply to me now? I'm I'm ready for objections.

Thank you, brother. I'm more confident in the scriptures. Praise the Lord. But let me mention a couple of observations that hopefully stir you even more. You're still there in John 12, scroll back to verse 16.

I want you to see the commentary made about the disciples. His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remember that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. It's amazing how the spirit of God led John to admit this. It was an exciting time. They were moved, but they didn't understand it.

What's going on here? And it wasn't until Christ had died and resurrected and was ascended into heaven that they fully understood the implications and the significance of events like this. Here's what's so startling. Think about it. We read how the prophets of old, though they predicted these things about Christ, didn't have a comprehension about the details.

Though they were those who gave revelation, they themselves were left in the dark to some degree. And then you come up to the apostles themselves who lived in the moment. They're witnessing it, and yet they didn't fully appreciate or properly interpret what was unfolding in front of them. But the church ever since Christ died and raised has been given full revelation. And you and I can actually look back through Christ's teachings by way of his apostles laying the foundation of the doctrine of the church and we have the most clarity than at any point of redemptive history.

Do you understand this? The prophets didn't fully grasp it. The disciples were trying to make sense of it and here you and I are with a copy of God's word in our hands and all that God has to say to man and we can have sermons like this. And we can study for ourselves and say, yep, that makes sense. Yep, I see this pattern.

Yep, that will be in the future. Yep, that was fulfilled. This is one of the elements that make us more blessed in the new covenant. Yeah. People say, I wish I lived in the Old Testament times.

Do you really? I wish I can see this and see that. Yeah. They saw different things but they didn't have the clarity that you and I have in our Bibles. We're told in the bibles that in the bible that we are more blessed on this side of the cross.

And we just got a sample of it together. Putting scripture with scripture, comparing it, it, seeing the consistency of God's word and leaving here more assured. I'm in the truth. So rejoice that your faith has deep roots and that your faith in this messiah is true. But let me let me end here.

Let's let's go back where we started in Zechariah nine and this will be the last scripture. Because in Zechariah nine nine, we looked at the behold, your king is coming to you part. I wanna look at how it begins. Zechariah nine nine, rejoice greatly, oh daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, oh daughter of Jerusalem.

Behold, your king is coming to you. Do you realize that the news of the arrival of this king and the fruit of his kingship is that he would make a joyful people? You know, the news of a new king is not always exciting. It can sometimes be terrifying. Who is this king?

Is he a tyrant? Is he a maniac? Is he selfish? Is he power hungry? Where is he gonna lead our nation?

Where is he gonna lead us? What's gonna happen to our children? And Zechariah assures us, you can rejoice and not just rejoice, rejoice greatly at the news of this king. He's not like the kings in first and second kings. He's not like the kings in history.

No. He's righteous, and he's humble, and he comes to save. He comes to save. Here's my question for you today. Does the revelation of Jesus being king over your life produce real joy?

And if you if if you can't say with confidence, yes, I have joy, and listen, joy is not just this, like, fluctuating emotion. I'm talking about the first Peter one eight joy, that though you can't see him with your eyes, though you haven't experienced him in the flesh, you rejoice with a joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. That's New Testament and it's about us as Christians and our common experience. If you can't say, I I have experienced this reality that something was unlocked in my soul when I crowned Jesus Christ as the king of my life. Nothing in this world can even compare to the happiness that I have.

It could be for two reasons. Number one, you've never made Jesus Christ king. To some, whether they wanna admit it or not, he's more like a butler. And he's there in the margins and whenever you're ready to call him, Jesus, I need you, and he comes and does your bidding. He's not a butler.

He's a king. Is Christ king? Did you make an intentional conscious decision at one point in your life saying, I am not the master of my faith. I am no longer the captain of my soul. You are, and you are worthy of it because you made my soul and you died for my soul, so take my soul.

Only then can you rejoice greatly. What a wonderful reward for making someone king. So maybe maybe the reason why you can look back at your Christian life and you're hanging by a thread because if you're honest, you've been bored all these years, you've missed something. But number two, it could be that even though you can say with confidence that I unashamedly made Jesus king, you lost vision of him. And something else, some other sparkling crown grabbed your attention.

Some other throne that promised protection and pleasure convinced you for a season. And if that is you, then I pray that what you heard today would refocus your gaze, and you'd realize that there's no other king with this kind of beauty. There's no other king who wants to be my friend. There's no other king who constantly extends his scepter so I can freely come before the throne of grace and talk to him whenever I need to. I don't need to set an appointment with this king.

I can wake up at three in the morning, get on my knees on the side of my bed, and have his full attention. This king, though he rules the universe, cares about my life day by day. Yes. He has a scepter, but he also has a rod, and he shepherds me whether I feel it or not. Rejoice greatly, Maranatha Bible Church, because our king has come.

Is he your king? I pray today would be the day where you make that decision. Let's pray. Thank you, father, for feeding us today. Thank you for filling our hearts with joy.

May we never be may we never be ashamed of the gospel. May we be ready to defend and give explanation to the hope that is in us. Thank you that we are in the truth. Thank you that we have all that we need to know you and to make you known. Lord, we come to worship you with joy.

Yes, because we have perhaps sharpened our way of being able to explain why we believe what we believe but more than that, we've experienced this king. We've experienced your salvation. We know you. We love you. So, Lord, we rejoice greatly in your presence, and we say, Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus.

Come and finish what you started. Come and receive your rightful due. Receive the crown. Receive the throne. Receive dominion.

Take over this world. We thank you that we're part of your kingdom by grace, that this king died on a cross so that we would be yours forever. In Jesus' name, amen. Let's stand and worship this king together. You know, there are so many times when preparing for a message that when things are discovered, it's such a charging experience that I actually have to step away from the desk.

I just have to back up and pace around, sometimes, you know, tell my wife about it, sometimes call my dad about it. Hey. I saw this, and he usually reminds me of something else that I missed and it gets even deeper. This Bible is amazing. This book is amazing.

And in a word church that's praying for revival, if there's any revival we need in this land, it's the revival of a Bible believing, Bible preaching church, churches across this nation. There's so much gold in this book, and this is the way that you and I will know our God more. So my prayer in this final time of prayer is that we would all leave here stirred because our hearts are burning for the scriptures. Lord, we pray thanking you for perhaps a little taste of what it was like on the road to Emmaus. And we pray for that same testimony.

Did not our hearts burn within us when he opened to us the scriptures. Oh, we ask God that you would show us more and more of who you are. Not so that we can gain knowledge so that we can grow in worship. We wanna worship you and we wanna tell others about you through this word so help us know it. We love you Lord.

Bring us to this Good Friday. Prepare to love you even more. Bring us to the reminder of the resurrection. May it never become old news. The good news is not old news.

It is the news that this world needs. And we pray that we would be a a group of believers never, never, never embarrassed about it. So equip us to be bold in this very dark time to give them the only message that can save. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Jesus Christ is King. Amen. May the king go before you in all your ways. There's fellowship downstairs, and we will see you this Friday. God bless you.