1 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:15,840 We're taking a pause over these weeks and our studies in the 2 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:19,760 book of Exodus so that we can look at Palm Sunday and of course, 3 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:23,280 next week, look at Resurrection Sunday and see what 4 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:25,760 we can learn from the New Testament in that. 5 00:00:26,670 --> 00:00:29,750 But even in what we've looked at so far, and perhaps what we know 6 00:00:29,750 --> 00:00:33,870 about the wider picture of Exodus, once again this morning, 7 00:00:34,030 --> 00:00:37,310 as we've been seeing in our evening services of worship, with 8 00:00:37,310 --> 00:00:41,750 the studies in Revelation, Exodus speaks so much into how we 9 00:00:41,750 --> 00:00:43,630 understand the life of God's people. 10 00:00:44,190 --> 00:00:49,270 It was almost as if it was a robe being thrown down for us by 11 00:00:49,270 --> 00:00:53,070 which we can see how God will continue to work through his people 12 00:00:53,990 --> 00:00:56,270 so that they can know his true salvation of them. 13 00:00:56,270 --> 00:00:59,510 Because, of course, as we'll pick up the Exodus series, we're 14 00:00:59,510 --> 00:01:02,750 going to see that salvation does come for God's people as they 15 00:01:02,750 --> 00:01:07,030 go through the waters of the Red Sea and eventually into the promised 16 00:01:07,030 --> 00:01:10,230 Land, that land of promise that God had given to them. 17 00:01:12,070 --> 00:01:14,630 And so, as I said earlier, rather than looking at the accounts 18 00:01:14,630 --> 00:01:18,390 of that triumphal entry that we're all very familiar with of Jesus 19 00:01:18,390 --> 00:01:20,950 going into Jerusalem from the Gospels, we're turning to the Old 20 00:01:20,950 --> 00:01:25,230 Testament prophet of Zechariah, who foretold of Jesus 21 00:01:25,230 --> 00:01:27,390 entering Jerusalem on a donkey. 22 00:01:27,870 --> 00:01:34,510 And it is truly amazing how God has worked his word with such 23 00:01:34,590 --> 00:01:39,910 truth that we can be left without shadow of doubt that the 24 00:01:39,910 --> 00:01:42,950 one that we read off at the beginning of our service in our call 25 00:01:42,950 --> 00:01:48,390 to worship is indeed the one foretold to be the savior of God's 26 00:01:48,390 --> 00:01:48,670 people. 27 00:01:49,490 --> 00:01:53,730 Because the purpose of the Old Testament prophets was to speak God's 28 00:01:53,730 --> 00:01:55,490 truth to the people. 29 00:01:57,010 --> 00:01:59,250 Now, that comes in two ways. 30 00:01:59,410 --> 00:02:03,530 And if you think that prophets only foretold the future, then you 31 00:02:03,530 --> 00:02:07,410 don't fully understand what their task was. 32 00:02:08,850 --> 00:02:12,850 Their overall task was to speak the truth of God. 33 00:02:13,490 --> 00:02:17,940 You see, prophets spoke that truth to tell the people of the situation 34 00:02:18,020 --> 00:02:18,900 they were in. 35 00:02:19,300 --> 00:02:22,580 And it was a situation where they often rebelled against God. 36 00:02:23,700 --> 00:02:27,860 And so what these prophets would do with Isaiah and Jeremiah 37 00:02:27,860 --> 00:02:33,460 in particular, they would give comment on the current social and 38 00:02:33,460 --> 00:02:35,780 religious times that the people lived in. 39 00:02:36,740 --> 00:02:40,820 They would tell them the state of their spiritual health, and it 40 00:02:40,820 --> 00:02:41,540 wasn't good. 41 00:02:42,530 --> 00:02:47,570 And even Zechariah, prior to this, has warned the people about 42 00:02:47,570 --> 00:02:50,890 what it means to know their need of a savior and not to fall 43 00:02:50,890 --> 00:02:53,890 away from a savior. 44 00:02:55,970 --> 00:03:00,530 But the warning would also be, secondly, that they had to change 45 00:03:00,530 --> 00:03:04,210 their ways, that they couldn't stay in the way that they had. 46 00:03:04,290 --> 00:03:07,810 They had to change or they would face the wrath of God and So 47 00:03:07,810 --> 00:03:12,380 that's often then why we see see prophets as foretelling the future. 48 00:03:13,660 --> 00:03:16,780 Well, they do foretell a future, but it's the ultimate future 49 00:03:17,260 --> 00:03:22,020 that every human being will face, that if they do not trust in 50 00:03:22,020 --> 00:03:26,019 God's way of salvation, then they will face his wrath. 51 00:03:26,019 --> 00:03:28,860 And of course, each of the prophets foretold this. 52 00:03:29,500 --> 00:03:33,500 Those prophets that spoke before the exile foretold of nations 53 00:03:33,500 --> 00:03:37,220 who would be used as God's punishment for their unfaithfulness. 54 00:03:37,540 --> 00:03:41,700 And even today, now we see that God will punish those who actually 55 00:03:41,780 --> 00:03:46,260 were used to punish Israel because they were never right or 56 00:03:46,260 --> 00:03:48,140 good, it was never God's way. 57 00:03:48,140 --> 00:03:50,100 His people were to remain faithful. 58 00:03:50,740 --> 00:03:54,180 But God will use different ways and different means to ensure 59 00:03:54,180 --> 00:03:59,020 that his people do and that they wake up to the reality of their 60 00:03:59,020 --> 00:04:01,140 need of his salvation. 61 00:04:02,910 --> 00:04:07,030 And so, yes, read Isaiah and Jeremiah, those major prophets, because 62 00:04:07,030 --> 00:04:10,830 of the length of their writings, and you will see this clearly 63 00:04:10,830 --> 00:04:14,310 of what they say about the people in the time in which they 64 00:04:14,310 --> 00:04:14,670 live. 65 00:04:15,870 --> 00:04:19,510 And if they don't change their ways, what their ultimate outcome 66 00:04:19,510 --> 00:04:22,990 and punishment will be for their rejection of God. 67 00:04:23,710 --> 00:04:27,230 And we see it time and again in the Old Testament because it turns 68 00:04:27,230 --> 00:04:31,000 out the children of Israel didn't have good memories. 69 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:38,040 Trace it, we'll not even get too far out of Egypt, that moment 70 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:42,360 of salvation when they will reject the things of God because 71 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:46,960 of their impatience and they will worship false gods crafted by 72 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:48,120 their own hands. 73 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:53,560 How slow of memory they are, quick to forget. 74 00:04:54,310 --> 00:04:58,070 And so the prophets came to warn, and that's what Zechariah is 75 00:04:58,070 --> 00:04:59,110 doing for us. 76 00:05:00,550 --> 00:05:04,910 But there is goodness to the Old Testament prophets, so we mustn't 77 00:05:04,910 --> 00:05:07,390 think that they simply came with doom and gloom, although Jeremiah 78 00:05:07,390 --> 00:05:09,310 doesn't have much happiness in his writings. 79 00:05:09,310 --> 00:05:14,230 But the Old Testament's prophets also spoke good news, because 80 00:05:14,230 --> 00:05:17,510 that good news was that invitation that God would give his 81 00:05:17,510 --> 00:05:19,590 people to turn from their ways. 82 00:05:19,670 --> 00:05:23,610 And a phrase that's often used is, but if you would yet turn, turn 83 00:05:24,570 --> 00:05:27,890 this sense of moving in a different direction, God would say 84 00:05:27,890 --> 00:05:31,930 this frequently to his people, so that indeed they would turn around 85 00:05:32,330 --> 00:05:36,090 and they would come to him and know his salvation. 86 00:05:36,090 --> 00:05:40,730 And salvation in Old Testament times wasn't simply by being born. 87 00:05:41,610 --> 00:05:42,970 You had to worship God. 88 00:05:42,970 --> 00:05:48,410 You had to go by the ways that he required, that sacrificial system 89 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:52,960 that held the worship of God's people towards him. 90 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:56,120 But of course, with the coming of Christ, that was all done away 91 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:56,480 with. 92 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:01,360 And the only way by which we now can be saved is in Jesus Christ. 93 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,520 And that's what Zechariah is pointing us to. 94 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:10,080 He's pointing us to the coming of Zion's king. 95 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:15,040 Now, if you know anything about scripture, you will know that 96 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,400 at times there's terms used to a literal understanding. 97 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:20,240 And we know Zion to be the. 98 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:23,160 The hill of Jerusalem that Jerusalem is built on. 99 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:28,560 But it also points us to Zion, the city of God, the holy habitation 100 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:32,120 of the Most High, where he dwells in eternity. 101 00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:37,080 And so here we have Zechariah looking forward in the first of two 102 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:41,320 oracles, where he is pointing to the holy city, not Jerusalem, 103 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:45,840 but to the city of God and to that eternal dwelling place of God 104 00:06:45,840 --> 00:06:46,520 and his people. 105 00:06:47,380 --> 00:06:51,260 And the first eight verses of chapter nine are about God judging 106 00:06:51,260 --> 00:06:53,900 the enemies of Israel and punishing them for coming up against 107 00:06:53,900 --> 00:06:56,660 his people, even though God used them as his agents. 108 00:06:57,140 --> 00:06:59,860 So the people are now back in Jerusalem. 109 00:07:00,900 --> 00:07:05,340 But the rest of the chapter speaks of that coming king, that 110 00:07:05,340 --> 00:07:09,620 king who will offer salvation for those who will put their trust 111 00:07:09,620 --> 00:07:12,980 in him, that salvation that only comes from God. 112 00:07:13,570 --> 00:07:16,770 And so the book of Zechariah itself anticipates the coming kingdom 113 00:07:16,770 --> 00:07:18,770 of God with the coming king. 114 00:07:18,850 --> 00:07:24,130 And it opens in about 520 BC, 20 years after the first Jews had 115 00:07:24,130 --> 00:07:27,810 returned from exile in Babylon to the region of Judah. 116 00:07:28,210 --> 00:07:32,770 And the prophet Zechariah is known to us outside of his book because 117 00:07:32,770 --> 00:07:36,570 he played a key role, along with the prophet Haggai, in rebuilding 118 00:07:36,570 --> 00:07:37,130 the temple. 119 00:07:37,130 --> 00:07:41,260 And we're told that in the book of Ezra, and so this later part 120 00:07:41,260 --> 00:07:45,340 of his book, his prophecy is written in a time after the completion 121 00:07:45,340 --> 00:07:48,980 of the temple and tells of the Lord returning to his people. 122 00:07:50,020 --> 00:07:52,100 But it's not as they might expect. 123 00:07:53,860 --> 00:07:59,020 Like humanity today, they will look to their past as an expectation 124 00:07:59,020 --> 00:08:00,020 of what will happen. 125 00:08:00,820 --> 00:08:03,700 But God says, no, this is now something new. 126 00:08:06,110 --> 00:08:11,670 I'm going to dwell with you, but it's not as I did before, because 127 00:08:11,670 --> 00:08:16,190 the covenant is being renewed and the new covenant is coming through 128 00:08:16,190 --> 00:08:17,310 my son Jesus. 129 00:08:18,350 --> 00:08:22,150 And so in the verses that we will read today, we will see of the 130 00:08:22,150 --> 00:08:28,110 hope that Zacharias speaks of to people of not a king to rule Israel 131 00:08:28,110 --> 00:08:32,480 in 520 BC, because any king that came to rule Israel was only 132 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:35,320 a puppet king for the overlords of empire. 133 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:39,520 Rather speaking of a future king from David's line, the root 134 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:41,960 of Jesse, the Messiah. 135 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:46,359 Now, if you're familiar with the writings of J.R.R. 136 00:08:46,359 --> 00:08:49,560 Tolkien, then you will know that his final book in the Lord of 137 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:52,280 the Rings trilogy is entitled the Return of the King. 138 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:55,760 And the whole premise of this book is the expectant return of the 139 00:08:55,760 --> 00:09:00,200 king of Gondor to restore peace and justice to the land following 140 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:05,220 a period, a long period of rul by the evil Sauron and his army. 141 00:09:06,020 --> 00:09:09,700 And the closing scenes of this book are one of brightness. 142 00:09:10,100 --> 00:09:13,900 And whenever Peter Jackson made those epic movies, it was bright, 143 00:09:13,900 --> 00:09:17,740 it was dazzling because it wanted to display the glory of the 144 00:09:17,740 --> 00:09:22,900 kingdom with the right king in his place, a king who ruled with 145 00:09:22,900 --> 00:09:28,580 peace and justice, that this kingdom would be established, firm. 146 00:09:30,060 --> 00:09:33,300 And this is the scene for what's going on in the hearts of 147 00:09:33,300 --> 00:09:33,980 God's people. 148 00:09:33,980 --> 00:09:35,340 This is what they want. 149 00:09:36,380 --> 00:09:40,620 Remember when they left, they had a king, they had a city, they 150 00:09:40,620 --> 00:09:44,940 had a country and a nation, and they want that back again. 151 00:09:45,500 --> 00:09:48,460 And so this is their expectation that a king would sit 152 00:09:48,460 --> 00:09:53,020 on David's throne there and then and would rule and rule and 153 00:09:53,020 --> 00:09:54,860 rule, and this kingdom would never end. 154 00:09:56,030 --> 00:10:00,230 But as human kingdoms rise and fall, this was never going to be 155 00:10:00,230 --> 00:10:02,430 the way of God's people. 156 00:10:04,910 --> 00:10:09,390 And so they have returned from exile, an exile, by the way, that 157 00:10:09,390 --> 00:10:12,750 was their punishment for their rebellion against God. 158 00:10:12,830 --> 00:10:16,350 And so now the walls in the temple of Jerusalem have been rebuilt. 159 00:10:16,350 --> 00:10:19,550 And it feels like the people are expecting a bright and glorious 160 00:10:19,550 --> 00:10:19,870 future. 161 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:24,520 But they're still a people who are governed by foreign powers. 162 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:27,480 Who's their king at this moment? 163 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:30,680 Well, it's Darius, the king of the Persians. 164 00:10:30,680 --> 00:10:32,040 He is their overlord. 165 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:35,240 So how can the people know true freedom? 166 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:39,400 Well, Zechariah tells them that their only freedom can rest 167 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:43,080 in the coming of Zion's true king, the Messiah. 168 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:47,200 And so the first eight verses in chapter nine have seen the Lord 169 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:49,400 promise to punish the oppressors of Israel. 170 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:52,640 And those oppressors, the nations around Israel, have been 171 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:54,200 harassing them for generations. 172 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:57,600 But a day is coming when there will be true peace for God's people. 173 00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:59,680 This is what's said in verse eight that we didn't read. 174 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,520 But I will defend my house, says God, against marauding forces. 175 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:07,280 Never again will an oppressor overrun my people. 176 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:09,440 For now, I am keeping watch. 177 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:12,160 And this is a wonderful message of comfort for God's people, 178 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:15,120 because after judging the nations on the borders of the land, 179 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:19,270 God will return to encamp at his house to the temple, and he will 180 00:11:19,270 --> 00:11:25,030 protect his people from invaders and oppressors for the people. 181 00:11:25,030 --> 00:11:28,430 This brings King David into mind, very focused and clear as the 182 00:11:28,430 --> 00:11:30,150 greatest king that Israel ever had. 183 00:11:31,190 --> 00:11:36,350 This was also the time when God truly camped amongst them, first 184 00:11:36,350 --> 00:11:39,830 of all in the tabernacle, and then after that as Solomon built 185 00:11:39,830 --> 00:11:42,390 the temple, his presence filling the temple. 186 00:11:43,030 --> 00:11:46,670 And God tells his people that he is watching over them so that 187 00:11:46,670 --> 00:11:49,350 they can know his goodness and his blessing. 188 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:53,680 But that blessing will not come through a nation state of Israel, 189 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:56,480 for they will never be a people who are free. 190 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,960 Yes, they will be ruled by other empires, the Persians, the 191 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:02,400 Greeks and the Romans for another thousand years. 192 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:06,680 And they will be a people who will continue in sin and will be 193 00:12:06,680 --> 00:12:08,240 unable to save themselves. 194 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,160 So God tells them that he will provide a way for them. 195 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:16,760 And his first words to them as their minds turn to this great promise 196 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:17,600 of salvation. 197 00:12:17,740 --> 00:12:21,810 And is to rejoice, as verse nine tells us, these familiar words, 198 00:12:21,810 --> 00:12:24,290 rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. 199 00:12:24,690 --> 00:12:29,250 Shout, daughter of Jerusalem, see, your king comes to you righteous 200 00:12:29,250 --> 00:12:34,050 and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, 201 00:12:34,290 --> 00:12:36,370 the foal of a donkey. 202 00:12:37,810 --> 00:12:38,770 This is the promise. 203 00:12:38,770 --> 00:12:42,930 And this is of course, what we see fulfilled in Jesus coming into 204 00:12:43,010 --> 00:12:43,890 Jerusalem. 205 00:12:44,650 --> 00:12:48,650 But for the people of the time of Zechariah, their minds are immediately 206 00:12:48,650 --> 00:12:53,730 brought to a Davidic king who ruled with great power and established 207 00:12:53,730 --> 00:12:54,650 peace on the land. 208 00:12:55,530 --> 00:12:59,010 But unlike many previous kings, the king that is promised 209 00:12:59,010 --> 00:13:01,450 to them here will be righteous. 210 00:13:02,410 --> 00:13:05,170 And this king is said to have salvation. 211 00:13:05,170 --> 00:13:07,130 Now, no other king was said to have that. 212 00:13:07,370 --> 00:13:10,810 So this king is completely different from anything and everything 213 00:13:10,810 --> 00:13:12,090 that these people have known before. 214 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:16,400 Now, the Hebrew language here can also be translated with the sense 215 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:19,040 that this king has been saved. 216 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:24,480 So not only will he bring salvation, but he knows that salvation, 217 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:28,120 and in this case, the future king has been saved by God in the 218 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:31,840 context of God's defeat of the nations, as seen in the first eight 219 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:32,280 verses. 220 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:35,440 And he now comes to the royal city of Jerusalem. 221 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:40,720 But this king is also humble, unlike all the kings of the nations 222 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:42,120 around them, who were arrogant. 223 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:46,360 In fact, even their own kings were arrogant against God and against 224 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:47,000 his people. 225 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:50,160 And so the meaning to Zechariah's picture here seems to 226 00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:52,120 be the suffering servant. 227 00:13:52,680 --> 00:13:56,560 We can see David as king suffering in 2nd Samuel and in the 228 00:13:56,560 --> 00:13:57,440 Psalms that he writes. 229 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:02,320 But as Isaiah prophesies, a suffering servant, a messiah, who 230 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:06,600 would come not to sit on a golden throne, but to serve the people 231 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:08,080 and suffer for that service. 232 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:12,040 And so here's Zechariah's portrait of what has happened to 233 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:15,920 David and what is about to happen with a future king, are woven 234 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:20,919 together to make this link, that this has always been God's plan 235 00:14:20,919 --> 00:14:26,200 of salvation, to bring about his son as the only savior we can 236 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:26,480 know. 237 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:31,040 And so this then explains the fourth description of the king we 238 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:35,400 see here in Zechariah 9:9 as one mounted on a donkey. 239 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:38,400 And again, when the people hear this, they immediately think 240 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:41,800 of David's exile from Jerusalem when he was nearly defeated 241 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:42,680 by his enemies. 242 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:43,800 What did he do? 243 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:45,720 He rode on a donkey. 244 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:50,440 God saved David in battle and delivered him back to Jerusalem as 245 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:50,840 king. 246 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:55,800 And again, combining these images, Zechariah speaks of a future 247 00:14:56,200 --> 00:15:00,780 righteous king from David's line of prophetic expectation, who, 248 00:15:00,780 --> 00:15:04,340 having been saved by God from the affliction of exile, will return 249 00:15:04,340 --> 00:15:08,180 to Jerusalem on a donkey and will speak peace to the nations, 250 00:15:08,260 --> 00:15:10,260 as verse 10 goes on to tell us. 251 00:15:10,820 --> 00:15:14,860 Now, verse 10 also speaks of the chariot and war horse, and they 252 00:15:14,860 --> 00:15:19,100 were key weapons of warfare for Israel and for Judah in the 9th 253 00:15:19,100 --> 00:15:20,420 and 8th centuries. 254 00:15:21,060 --> 00:15:24,900 And God says he will cut off or he will destroy these weapons 255 00:15:25,220 --> 00:15:26,820 along with the battle bow. 256 00:15:27,370 --> 00:15:31,370 And there's a specific mention here of Ephraim, the northern kingdom 257 00:15:31,370 --> 00:15:36,490 of Israel, and of Jerusalem itself, giving us hints at a reunified 258 00:15:36,810 --> 00:15:37,450 kingdom. 259 00:15:38,330 --> 00:15:40,730 When was the last time the kingdom was unified? 260 00:15:41,450 --> 00:15:45,770 Well, it was under David, when the kingdom of Israel had its greatest 261 00:15:45,770 --> 00:15:48,490 reach and its greatest territory. 262 00:15:48,810 --> 00:15:52,210 And so the coming king, we're told, shall proclaim peace to the 263 00:15:52,210 --> 00:15:52,810 nations. 264 00:15:53,290 --> 00:15:56,730 And this is not just the absence of war, but the peace of 265 00:15:56,730 --> 00:16:00,490 salvation, as Zachariah will go on to speak of in the closing 266 00:16:00,490 --> 00:16:02,250 verses of this chapter. 267 00:16:02,810 --> 00:16:07,370 And so the coming king's rule will extend from sea to sea and from 268 00:16:07,370 --> 00:16:09,130 the river to the ends of the earth. 269 00:16:09,210 --> 00:16:13,370 And so this is an expression that captures his universal reign 270 00:16:13,370 --> 00:16:14,730 over all nations. 271 00:16:15,130 --> 00:16:17,610 Now, even King David didn't have that. 272 00:16:17,850 --> 00:16:23,230 And so Zechariah is not telling us to focus on a human king 273 00:16:23,230 --> 00:16:27,950 that will come, but on someone who will come from God, who is unlike 274 00:16:28,350 --> 00:16:30,590 any that has been seen before. 275 00:16:31,870 --> 00:16:36,110 In verse 11, the Lord reminds his people, as he often does through 276 00:16:36,110 --> 00:16:38,990 his prophets, of his covenant with them. 277 00:16:39,470 --> 00:16:43,070 And the covenant with Israel at Sinai was ratified with blood. 278 00:16:43,870 --> 00:16:47,630 And what that meant was, well, it was indicating God's commitment 279 00:16:47,630 --> 00:16:48,270 to his people. 280 00:16:49,430 --> 00:16:52,150 And so this covenant commitment means that the prisoners 281 00:16:52,150 --> 00:16:54,550 will be set free from the waterless pit. 282 00:16:54,790 --> 00:16:57,670 Now, who do we know was imprisoned in a waterless pit? 283 00:16:58,070 --> 00:17:01,590 We know Joseph, and also the prophet Jeremiah. 284 00:17:02,070 --> 00:17:05,950 And so the image here specifically refers to those still 285 00:17:05,950 --> 00:17:07,190 living in foreign lands. 286 00:17:07,190 --> 00:17:11,110 Or it may be a more general reference to the end of exile, that 287 00:17:11,110 --> 00:17:14,710 indeed true freedom will come for God's people, no matter where 288 00:17:14,710 --> 00:17:15,190 they are. 289 00:17:15,929 --> 00:17:18,889 To set the prisoners free also echoes the Exodus. 290 00:17:19,049 --> 00:17:23,369 The end of exile is a new exodus for God's people as they go 291 00:17:23,369 --> 00:17:26,969 back home and away from a place of slavery. 292 00:17:27,689 --> 00:17:30,489 And so once they're set free, then the prisoners are to return 293 00:17:30,489 --> 00:17:31,049 to their. 294 00:17:31,049 --> 00:17:33,369 To their stronghold, meaning Jerusalem. 295 00:17:34,009 --> 00:17:38,289 They are what we could call prisoners of hope because of a promise 296 00:17:38,289 --> 00:17:42,929 of restoration after exile built into the national covenant 297 00:17:42,929 --> 00:17:44,329 that God made with these people. 298 00:17:45,410 --> 00:17:49,770 And in verse 13, we see that the coming king will unite God's 299 00:17:49,770 --> 00:17:51,730 people to defeat their enemies. 300 00:17:52,530 --> 00:17:57,810 But what's more important in this prophecy is the actuality of 301 00:17:57,810 --> 00:18:00,649 the coming of the Lord, because this is what we're told in 302 00:18:00,649 --> 00:18:01,810 verses 14 and 15. 303 00:18:01,810 --> 00:18:03,410 Then the Lord will appear over them. 304 00:18:03,570 --> 00:18:05,730 His arrow will flash like lightning. 305 00:18:05,810 --> 00:18:07,850 The sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet. 306 00:18:07,850 --> 00:18:12,630 He will march in the storms of the sea, and the Lord Almighty will 307 00:18:12,630 --> 00:18:13,430 shield them. 308 00:18:13,910 --> 00:18:17,030 They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. 309 00:18:17,110 --> 00:18:19,990 They will drink and roar as with wine. 310 00:18:20,790 --> 00:18:25,390 They will be full, like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of 311 00:18:25,390 --> 00:18:26,070 the altar. 312 00:18:27,190 --> 00:18:30,830 We don't always understand what's going on here with this language 313 00:18:30,830 --> 00:18:34,790 because we're so far removed from that sacrificial system. 314 00:18:35,350 --> 00:18:39,050 But everything that has been mentioned here in these verses is 315 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:43,440 hints back to what the people should have known about what it meant 316 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:47,080 to worship God properly, to go through each of the things that God 317 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:47,840 had told them. 318 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:51,760 And so, like God's salvation in the Exodus, the Lord will appear 319 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:53,840 as a warrior to save his people. 320 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:58,400 He will come as an army on the march, shooting his arrow and sounding 321 00:18:58,400 --> 00:18:59,920 the trumpet as part of the battle. 322 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:03,760 The storms of the south mentioned here may also echo Exodus 323 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:04,080 themes. 324 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:04,640 Where did. 325 00:19:04,980 --> 00:19:10,180 Where was the place of Exodus from the south, from Egypt, along 326 00:19:10,180 --> 00:19:13,300 with the lightning and trumpet associated with God's appearance 327 00:19:13,460 --> 00:19:15,620 at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19. 328 00:19:16,580 --> 00:19:20,060 And in the battle, the Lord will protect or he'll shield his 329 00:19:20,060 --> 00:19:23,700 people, who destroy and tread down the sling stones. 330 00:19:23,940 --> 00:19:27,260 Now, this is a poetic way of picturing the enemies of God's people 331 00:19:27,260 --> 00:19:28,980 being obliterated in battle. 332 00:19:29,540 --> 00:19:32,740 The sound of the battle will be like the roar of those drunk with 333 00:19:32,740 --> 00:19:33,410 wine and. 334 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:36,520 And the sight of it, like blood at a sacrifice. 335 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:40,640 And just as the foreign nations consumed blood as part of 336 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:43,680 their adulterous worship, which is mentioned in verse 7 of 337 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:46,880 this chapter, so their blood will be consumed by the Israelites. 338 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,280 Now, that's metaphorically, not literally, in battle. 339 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:54,600 Other prophets also compare God's victory over his enemies to 340 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:55,640 a sacrifice. 341 00:19:56,840 --> 00:19:59,000 And the outcome is told to us in verse 16. 342 00:19:59,970 --> 00:20:03,450 The Lord their God will save them on that day, as the flock of 343 00:20:03,450 --> 00:20:03,970 his people. 344 00:20:04,370 --> 00:20:08,610 They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. 345 00:20:09,410 --> 00:20:14,170 Here God is saying that he will not only fight for and protect 346 00:20:14,170 --> 00:20:18,370 his people, but he'll also save and greatly bless them. 347 00:20:19,010 --> 00:20:23,330 And the phrase on that Day refers to the future day of salvation. 348 00:20:24,450 --> 00:20:27,930 The Lord here is called their God, language associated with the 349 00:20:27,930 --> 00:20:29,250 covenant relationship. 350 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,920 And the people are called the flock, portraying God's relationship 351 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:36,320 with Israel as their only truly good shepherd. 352 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:39,680 And this, of course, is how Jesus refers to himself. 353 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:43,440 So it's not just simply verse nine of this chapter that points 354 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:46,960 us to Palm Sunday, but it actually points us to what Jesus 355 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:51,120 says of himself, that he is the good shepherd. 356 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,640 And this is what the people needed to hear in that time, often 357 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:56,280 settlement. 358 00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:00,960 But it's also something we need to hear as well, that as these 359 00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:04,960 images are given to us of the Savior coming lowly and mounted on 360 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:09,240 a donkey, we also know that he comes to take for himself a flock. 361 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:13,360 A flock who has a shepherd, A good shepherd. 362 00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:15,320 As Jesus says, I am the good Shepherd. 363 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:18,320 In verse 11, the Good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. 364 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,880 And then verses 14 and 15, I am the good shepherd, he says again, 365 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:24,760 I know my sheep, and my sheep know me. 366 00:21:24,820 --> 00:21:29,010 And just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father, and I 367 00:21:29,010 --> 00:21:31,690 lay down my life for the sheep. 368 00:21:32,890 --> 00:21:36,810 How does Christ win this flock that Zachariah talks about? 369 00:21:37,370 --> 00:21:39,930 He lays down his life for them. 370 00:21:40,250 --> 00:21:45,130 He goes to Calvary's cross, starting on that journey of Palm 371 00:21:45,130 --> 00:21:50,610 Sunday, going through to those crowds shouting hosanna, and ending, 372 00:21:50,610 --> 00:21:53,570 as we thought, with the girls and boys on what we can truly call 373 00:21:53,570 --> 00:21:58,880 a Good Friday, because of what Christ achieved on that cross. 374 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:04,520 You see, this truly is a great image of God's love towards his people 375 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:09,840 here in Zechariah 9 that we must know is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 376 00:22:10,799 --> 00:22:14,480 He is the true Davidic king described as the root of Jesse. 377 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:18,120 Go to Matthew's genealogy and you will see that Christ comes from 378 00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:19,120 the line of David. 379 00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:23,350 So once again, the people's hope is not misfounded, it's just 380 00:22:23,430 --> 00:22:24,390 misplaced. 381 00:22:24,550 --> 00:22:27,910 They're looking for a king, a physical king from David's line, 382 00:22:27,910 --> 00:22:32,510 whereas what they're given is an eternal king who in human time 383 00:22:32,510 --> 00:22:36,830 comes from the line of David, yet is a king that dies so that he 384 00:22:36,830 --> 00:22:37,750 might reign. 385 00:22:38,390 --> 00:22:42,270 He is the true king of David who will save God's people through 386 00:22:42,270 --> 00:22:44,590 that death and through that resurrection. 387 00:22:44,590 --> 00:22:48,870 This is the hope that we have of the coming king who will defeat 388 00:22:48,870 --> 00:22:50,060 the enemy of God's people. 389 00:22:50,850 --> 00:22:52,290 He will defeat the Satan. 390 00:22:52,290 --> 00:22:55,130 He will be, as we've been talking with the boys and girls, 391 00:22:55,130 --> 00:22:57,010 the true snake crusher. 392 00:22:57,730 --> 00:23:02,690 And he will rule and reign forever. 393 00:23:05,969 --> 00:23:10,210 You see, the sad reality for the people in Zechariah's day is 394 00:23:10,210 --> 00:23:15,170 that they only looked around them they only looked for a literal 395 00:23:15,170 --> 00:23:18,450 king, just like they did before Saul. 396 00:23:19,090 --> 00:23:24,810 They wanted to be like all the other nations, but that was not God's 397 00:23:24,810 --> 00:23:25,250 intention. 398 00:23:26,370 --> 00:23:29,450 Jesus being welcomed into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday with shouts 399 00:23:29,450 --> 00:23:33,050 of Hosanna is the true fulfillment of verse 9, the king 400 00:23:33,050 --> 00:23:36,930 coming into Zion on that donkey, lowly riding on it. 401 00:23:37,330 --> 00:23:41,410 And isn't this the true description of Jesus, who tells us 402 00:23:41,410 --> 00:23:46,070 in Matthew 11 that his heart, his very being, is gentle and lowly 403 00:23:46,070 --> 00:23:49,350 to those who need to find their rest and their hope in him? 404 00:23:50,310 --> 00:23:52,470 This is the true King of Zion. 405 00:23:53,270 --> 00:23:58,470 This is the true King of God, who comes to give rescue and salvation 406 00:23:59,589 --> 00:24:00,470 to his people. 407 00:24:02,470 --> 00:24:07,070 See, the people of 500 BC needed to know that there was a Savior 408 00:24:07,070 --> 00:24:08,070 to rescue them. 409 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,160 And that's still true of us today. 410 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:14,800 We need a savior. 411 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:18,640 No matter who you are this morning, there are a number of truths 412 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:19,600 that you need to know. 413 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:24,760 Firstly, Jesus is truly the good shepherd again. 414 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:26,040 What does Zechariah say? 415 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:30,000 The Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of 416 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:30,720 his people. 417 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:34,820 I wonder, do you even want a good shepherd? 418 00:24:36,170 --> 00:24:37,610 We know what a shepherd's like. 419 00:24:38,330 --> 00:24:42,490 We know that they work hard, they work tireless, often unseen, 420 00:24:42,810 --> 00:24:47,290 and yet they will do whatever they can to protect the flock, as 421 00:24:47,290 --> 00:24:51,810 well as to perhaps roughly ensure that the flock goes where 422 00:24:51,810 --> 00:24:52,810 the flock needs to go. 423 00:24:52,810 --> 00:24:55,610 That's why the image of a crook is what we're given. 424 00:24:55,690 --> 00:25:00,540 One to pull around the neck of a lamb or a sheep, to pull them out 425 00:25:00,540 --> 00:25:04,780 of a ditch or a shuck or the other end of it, to move them in 426 00:25:04,780 --> 00:25:07,700 the direction by hitting them in the way that they need to go, 427 00:25:07,700 --> 00:25:12,500 and which of us like anything around our necks or being hit and 428 00:25:12,740 --> 00:25:16,340 punched and pulled physically, never mind spiritually. 429 00:25:17,620 --> 00:25:20,860 You see, the shepherd is good because he does what is best for 430 00:25:20,860 --> 00:25:21,220 us. 431 00:25:22,420 --> 00:25:23,780 And we are on a path. 432 00:25:24,820 --> 00:25:29,270 We are walking this road of life that is going to end, as the 433 00:25:29,270 --> 00:25:32,310 reality of these last number of weeks has demonstrated to us, 434 00:25:32,310 --> 00:25:37,190 that ends with the breath leaving our bodies and then eternity. 435 00:25:38,230 --> 00:25:41,190 And the question is, do you trust in the good shepherd to lead 436 00:25:41,190 --> 00:25:46,310 you through, or are you going to defy him and not call him good 437 00:25:47,270 --> 00:25:48,670 and reject him and ignore him? 438 00:25:48,670 --> 00:25:51,750 Because that is only going to be a path that will lead against 439 00:25:52,230 --> 00:25:55,210 everything that Christ went to Calvary for. 440 00:25:56,730 --> 00:25:59,690 He paid the price of sin so that we wouldn't have to. 441 00:25:59,690 --> 00:26:02,810 And to reject him and to defy him means we have to pay that ourselves. 442 00:26:02,810 --> 00:26:06,570 And if you think you're going to take your chances, well, the reality 443 00:26:06,570 --> 00:26:10,330 is that is a very sad place in which to be. 444 00:26:11,210 --> 00:26:14,290 Because the description given to us of those who reject Christ 445 00:26:14,290 --> 00:26:18,490 as the true Good shepherd is one of complete torment, with no 446 00:26:18,490 --> 00:26:20,990 happiness and complete sadness. 447 00:26:22,190 --> 00:26:25,070 See, Jesus truly is the Good shepherd who invites us to follow 448 00:26:25,070 --> 00:26:25,470 Him. 449 00:26:26,030 --> 00:26:29,390 He is the Good shepherd who has laid down his life for his sheep. 450 00:26:29,390 --> 00:26:33,390 He is the good shepherd, and his sheep know him just as the Father 451 00:26:33,390 --> 00:26:33,990 knows Him. 452 00:26:33,990 --> 00:26:36,750 And he has laid down his life for the sheep. 453 00:26:37,230 --> 00:26:40,790 This is what he's done for you, and he invites you to come and 454 00:26:40,790 --> 00:26:45,350 follow him and to know him as your Good shepherd, just as he promised 455 00:26:45,350 --> 00:26:45,790 of old. 456 00:26:47,660 --> 00:26:50,460 The second thing is that salvation in Jesus is not just for 457 00:26:50,460 --> 00:26:50,780 Sunday. 458 00:26:51,500 --> 00:26:55,260 This was the problem with the people of Zechariah's time. 459 00:26:55,660 --> 00:26:58,460 This is why they needed to be told about a Savior. 460 00:26:58,460 --> 00:26:59,820 Because they couldn't save themselves. 461 00:26:59,900 --> 00:27:00,940 They thought they could. 462 00:27:01,660 --> 00:27:05,780 They thought all they had to do was show up, show up with your 463 00:27:05,780 --> 00:27:09,700 turtle dove, show up with whatever other animal you had to 464 00:27:09,700 --> 00:27:13,180 bring for whatever sacrifice it was, go through the ritual, and 465 00:27:13,180 --> 00:27:13,980 that was you. 466 00:27:15,350 --> 00:27:20,750 Their hearts then went cold for the rest of the year until it 467 00:27:20,750 --> 00:27:22,870 was time to come and offer sacrifices again. 468 00:27:24,630 --> 00:27:27,510 And all too often, we can find ourselves in a similar way. 469 00:27:28,630 --> 00:27:33,590 We will do everything that it takes to put on a good face for Sunday. 470 00:27:34,470 --> 00:27:37,990 And yet throughout the week, we have no thought of Christ at all. 471 00:27:39,030 --> 00:27:41,830 And the challenge here is to know that a Savior didn't come for 472 00:27:41,830 --> 00:27:42,870 just one day a week. 473 00:27:43,610 --> 00:27:46,690 A Savior came to give his life as he tells us, the Good shepherd 474 00:27:46,690 --> 00:27:50,690 to lay down his life so that we can live for him every day, not 475 00:27:50,690 --> 00:27:52,410 in our own strength, but in His. 476 00:27:54,090 --> 00:27:56,410 And this is what we call discipleship. 477 00:27:57,130 --> 00:28:01,490 It's what we call, knowing Jesus, that we will live by his way 478 00:28:01,490 --> 00:28:03,210 each and every day given to us. 479 00:28:03,290 --> 00:28:07,210 We will look neither to the left nor to the right, but we will 480 00:28:07,210 --> 00:28:09,930 fix our eyes on him as a verse that we're going to look at will 481 00:28:09,930 --> 00:28:14,040 tell us in a few moments so that we will be people who live for 482 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:17,680 him day and daily, and not simply one day a week. 483 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:22,160 And so Jesus is truly the Good shepherd who wants us to follow him 484 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:25,240 because his ways are good and true, and he is the great shepherd 485 00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:25,840 of his people. 486 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:30,240 But we also must know that as he leads us, it's not just for one 487 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:30,880 day a week. 488 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:33,280 It is for every moment of our lives. 489 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:39,280 And thirdly, knowing Christ as Savior and Lord means we are beautiful 490 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:42,920 before him and our salvation is abundant. 491 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:44,560 I wonder, did you pick that up? 492 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:47,880 As this passage ended, what are we told? 493 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:51,680 The people of the land, they will Sparkle in His land like jewels 494 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:52,440 in a crown. 495 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:55,640 How attractive and beautiful they will be. 496 00:28:57,080 --> 00:29:00,040 It's a land of abundance because grain will make the young 497 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:02,840 men thrive and new wine the young women. 498 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:07,460 Images of the abundance of God's blessing and glory too his 499 00:29:07,700 --> 00:29:08,100 people. 500 00:29:10,260 --> 00:29:15,580 Now, if you're someone like me who has a great face for radio, think 501 00:29:15,580 --> 00:29:16,500 about that for a moment. 502 00:29:17,620 --> 00:29:20,820 Then you will find these words the greatest of blessing. 503 00:29:22,020 --> 00:29:27,300 You are beautiful in the sight of the Lord because He has saved 504 00:29:27,300 --> 00:29:27,620 you. 505 00:29:28,180 --> 00:29:32,900 He has bought you at a price, and you are His. 506 00:29:37,250 --> 00:29:41,250 If I can describe these, the month of March, I think is the best 507 00:29:41,250 --> 00:29:44,810 way to say it has been heavy and tiresome days. 508 00:29:44,810 --> 00:29:48,210 I don't think I would be underestimating not just how I feel, 509 00:29:48,850 --> 00:29:51,730 but how we and a community around us feel. 510 00:29:53,090 --> 00:29:55,650 And yet today we need to know a truth as God's people. 511 00:29:55,650 --> 00:29:59,450 If we're placing our trust in Jesus, that we're not simply people 512 00:29:59,450 --> 00:30:02,050 who live for him on a Sunday and reject him the rest of the week, 513 00:30:02,050 --> 00:30:06,590 but are are with him as our Good shepherd, then we need to know 514 00:30:06,590 --> 00:30:08,510 today that we are beautiful in his sight. 515 00:30:08,990 --> 00:30:10,750 We are this very description. 516 00:30:11,630 --> 00:30:16,750 That as he saves us as his flock, then we sparkle for Him. 517 00:30:17,550 --> 00:30:20,110 We are like jewels in a crown. 518 00:30:20,350 --> 00:30:24,430 We are attractive and we are beautiful not because of our own 519 00:30:24,430 --> 00:30:27,870 works and our own efforts, but because of what Christ has done in 520 00:30:27,870 --> 00:30:28,190 us. 521 00:30:28,430 --> 00:30:32,030 And that's what this prophecy that starts off with a Savior coming 522 00:30:32,030 --> 00:30:34,110 into Zion on a donkey. 523 00:30:34,790 --> 00:30:38,910 It ends with the salvation of God's people who are beautiful in 524 00:30:38,910 --> 00:30:39,590 his sight. 525 00:30:39,830 --> 00:30:44,150 Even though shunned by the world, our beauty does not diminish, 526 00:30:44,950 --> 00:30:49,590 for we are kept, and our salvation is kept by him for that 527 00:30:49,590 --> 00:30:51,990 day when he will bring us home. 528 00:30:53,350 --> 00:30:54,550 How do we know all this? 529 00:30:55,110 --> 00:30:58,150 How do we know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd? 530 00:30:58,150 --> 00:31:01,110 How do we know that we must live for him every day? 531 00:31:01,270 --> 00:31:04,230 How do we know that we are beautiful in his sight because of 532 00:31:04,230 --> 00:31:05,880 the sin salvation he gives us? 533 00:31:06,840 --> 00:31:08,360 And it's because of the cross. 534 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:12,560 That's why we look at this passage on a day like this, because 535 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:14,200 ahead of us is Good Friday. 536 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:17,920 And it's because of everything that Jesus accomplished on Calvary's 537 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:18,280 cross. 538 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:22,200 That's why Hebrews 12 tells us, Let us fix our eyes on Jesus. 539 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:25,080 No one else, because there's no one else can save us. 540 00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:26,440 So why even bother? 541 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:30,840 Look to Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith, 542 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:36,960 who for the joy set before him, endured the cross just as he 543 00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:37,200 said. 544 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:41,000 As the Good shepherd lays down his life for the flock, scorning 545 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:45,720 its shame, but in glorious resurrection, sat down at the right 546 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:47,360 hand of the throne of God. 547 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:49,680 In one verse in Hebrews. 548 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:53,600 We have it all before us of why this day is important and why 549 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:57,200 we must know we have a good shepherd, why we must live for him 550 00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:02,070 every day, and why we are truly beautiful as we fix our eyes 551 00:32:02,070 --> 00:32:02,830 on Jesus. 552 00:32:03,230 --> 00:32:09,190 Because it is his beauty, his crown and his glory that is within 553 00:32:09,190 --> 00:32:09,550 us. 554 00:32:11,470 --> 00:32:13,070 On this Palm Sunday. 555 00:32:13,630 --> 00:32:15,790 We have sung the words hosanna. 556 00:32:15,950 --> 00:32:17,710 But do you mean them in your heart? 557 00:32:18,430 --> 00:32:23,070 Are you eagerly anticipating Good Friday and the Cross so that 558 00:32:23,070 --> 00:32:29,680 we can stand beneath the cross of Jesus, knowing that we do stand 559 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:34,480 and not fall, but stand in him and in the salvation he offers? 560 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:42,840 I truly hope and believe that the days ahead of us are a little 561 00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:48,400 bit lighter as we look to the Savior, as we fix our eyes on him, 562 00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:52,400 as we celebrate what Christ has accomplished for us. 563 00:32:53,930 --> 00:32:58,010 And so we know the blessing and the beauty of Jesus in the salvation 564 00:32:58,010 --> 00:32:59,050 that he gives us each. 565 00:33:00,090 --> 00:33:07,530 The question today is, will you receive it and will you live 566 00:33:07,530 --> 00:33:07,850 it? 567 00:33:09,210 --> 00:33:14,250 This is what he demands from us so that we can be sure that we 568 00:33:14,250 --> 00:33:14,730 are His. 569 00:33:15,850 --> 00:33:16,570 Let's pray. 570 00:33:19,380 --> 00:33:21,940 Our Father God, on this Palm Sunday. 571 00:33:22,020 --> 00:33:25,940 We've looked at that prophecy that foretells of this day, and yet 572 00:33:25,940 --> 00:33:28,420 how much it opens to us of who Jesus is. 573 00:33:28,900 --> 00:33:30,740 He truly is the good Shepherd. 574 00:33:30,980 --> 00:33:34,100 He is the one to whom we are to follow each and every day we live 575 00:33:34,100 --> 00:33:38,100 and not simply reserve him for the times when we think it's convenient. 576 00:33:38,820 --> 00:33:41,860 But yet when we know Christ, we are beautiful in your sight because 577 00:33:41,860 --> 00:33:43,620 of his good within us. 578 00:33:44,590 --> 00:33:46,270 And so may we take heart today. 579 00:33:47,150 --> 00:33:50,310 May we know that whatever the heaviness and the weightiness of 580 00:33:50,310 --> 00:33:55,550 this world is, as we fix our eyes on Jesus, we are truly beautiful, 581 00:33:55,550 --> 00:34:00,550 even though the world may shun us, because that beauty is truly 582 00:34:00,550 --> 00:34:00,910 Him. 583 00:34:02,110 --> 00:34:06,270 So may we fix our eyes as we stand beneath the cross of Jesus, 584 00:34:06,990 --> 00:34:13,310 looking to him as the One who will lead us on, you giving us him. 585 00:34:13,710 --> 00:34:17,950 So that we will know what it means to have a true Savior. 586 00:34:18,990 --> 00:34:21,710 Lord, don't let any of our hearts go out here cold. 587 00:34:22,350 --> 00:34:25,510 But may we be warm to the Savior and know that this is the 588 00:34:25,510 --> 00:34:26,750 reality in which we live. 589 00:34:27,150 --> 00:34:32,030 A reality we must face and a reality in which we must truly place 590 00:34:32,110 --> 00:34:32,750 our hope. 591 00:34:33,230 --> 00:34:37,150 As we look ever to Jesus and it's in his name we pray. 592 00:34:38,330 --> 00:34:38,810 Amen.