TWO PALM SUNDAY PROCESSIONS
JESUS' ENTRY THROUGH THE GATE CALLED GOLDEN
Matthew 21:1-11 - Zechariah 14:1-5
After 11 years of war and a physical removal of our troops from the Middle East, the storm clouds of war are threatening us again. Technically, removing our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan did not end the war. War in the Middle East never ceased. Peace is NOT the absence of war. Real lasting peace will not end until another Palm Sunday Processional occurs and the Prince of Peace returns as He promised. He will rule and reign from Jerusalem for 1,000 years: the Millennium.
The descendents of Hagar and Ishmael have been murdering one another since the angel's Curse given to Hagar before Ishmael's birth. Hagar and Sarah developed a great deal of animosity toward one another after Hagar conceived Ishmael and Sarah remained childless. Harassed, the pregnant Hagar ran away from Abraham and Sarah's camp. An angel of the Lord came to her as she ran with a message,
11 And the Angel of the LORD said to her: "Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction. 12 He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." Genesis 16:11-12 (NKJV)
"and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." NIV
The descendants of Hagar and Ishmael have been murdering one another for thousands of years. The Shias keep killing the Sunnis, and vise versa. Both factions kill the Salafis and Zaydis. No one presently on this earth will be able to stop the Arab factions from continuing in endless divisions, fighting and conflict.
My sermon explores the two Palm Sunday Processions: one in the past and another one yet to come. We anticipate this second Palm Sunday Procession with anxious joy. To this end Christian believers have cried out,
Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!
Pastor Phil <><<
April 9, 2017 / Palm Sunday
Pastor Phil Roland - Sheepfold Ministries
TWO PALM SUNDAY PROCESSIONS
JESUS' ENTRY THROUGH THE GATE CALLED GOLDEN
Matthew 21:1-11 - Zechariah 14:1-5
"After 11 years of war and a physical removal of our troops from the Middle East, the storm clouds of war are threatening us again. Technically, removing our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan did not end the war. It never ceased. It will not end until another Palm Sunday Processional occurs: the Return of the Lord Jesus as He promised." Pastor Phil <><<
7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!" Matthew 2:7-9
I. BACKGROUND - Ezekiel 44:1-3
"Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut. 2 And the LORD said to me, "This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the LORD God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. 3 As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way."
A. There are a total of Eight Gates going into Jerusalem today
1. Only Seven are open
2. One Gate no one can enter today
B. Eastern Gate / Golden Gate / Mercy Gate is Walled Over today
1. It was walled up in 1530 A.D. by the Ottoman Turks
2. They read the Jewish prophesies of Ezekiel from 600 B.C.
3. The Ottoman Turks were Islamic, believing part of the OT
4. Walled the East Gate to prevent the Jewish Messiah's entrance into the city
C. "The Prince" entered the East Gate on Palm Sunday of Holy Week
1. Jesus is God and Heaven's Coming "Prince"
2. He will enter through it a Second Time
3. When He Comes Again!
D. The eastern gate is still shut awaiting the coming Prince of Peace
1. What God shuts remains shut - Revelation 3:7
7 ". . .'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key
of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens":
2. Only Heaven's Prince will have a 2nd Procession: w/o Palms
Two Palm Sunday Processions, Cont. p.2
II. JESUS FIRST PALM SUNDAY PROCESSION - Verses 1, 2
1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.
A. His First Procession started at the Mount of Olives
1. Jesus rode the donkey and her foal 2 Miles
2. It was two miles from the Mt. of Olives to the Eastern Gate
B. He was acclaimed as Messiah by the People of Jerusalem
1. Predicted by the Prophet Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
2. Worshipped as liberating King from Rome's brutality
C. Jesus, Heaven's Prince, didn't come for Coronation
1. Jesus' 1st Palm Sunday Procession was a prelude to death
2. What we call Holy Week He baited the authorities
3. He promoted His own death: He came to die
4. Heaven's Prince came to die on a Roman Cross
D. That First Palm Sunday elation reminds of our own First Joy
1. God's perfect lamb without blemish died for your sin
2. First believed He did it knowingly and willingly for you
3. Remember when you first gave your heart to Jesus?
4. Remember that awful place you gave up on life?
5. You repented of your sin and renounced your past
6. What Joy! What Relief! Jesus was IN YOU FOREVER!
II. JESUS SECOND PALM SUNDAY PROCESSION - Ez. 4:4
4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.
A. Jesus Return is figured strongly around the Mt. of Olives
1. Jesus found the Colt and its mother in the Mt. of Olives
2. Jesus Ascended to God from the Mt. of Olives - Acts 1:9-12
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was
taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while
they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two
men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, "Men of
Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus,
who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner
as you saw Him go into heaven." 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath
day's journey. (Note: a Sabbath day's journey is 2 miles or less).
B. Jesus Returns at the Mt. of Olives - Zech. 4:4a
4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. . .
Two Palm Sunday Processions, Cont. p.3
1. The same feet that left the Mount of Olives 2,000 years ago
will return and stand there once again
2. His return will end the Battle at Plain of Miggedo, 60 miles No. of Jerusalem
C. He comes when the nations gather against Israel - Rev. 1:7
7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they
who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.
Even so, Amen.
1. Jesus Return will end forever Ishmael's war/his brothers
2. It will end on the Plain of Megiddo
3. The last Great Battle of Armageddian
4. His First Coming we rode a donkey, a sign of Peace
5. His 2nd Coming He brings His Saints and rides a War Horse
6. Then He will no longer be gentle Jesus, meek and mild
D. Jesus return on the Mount of Olives will come with an earthquake
2. Geologists say that there is a geological rift in Jerusalem
3. It extends North and South from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea
4. The rift awaits seismic activity / Earthquake
5. Split the Mount of Olives from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea
E. There will be at that time no Muslim cemetery there
1. The quake will supernaturally split the area in two
2. Making a clean path, opening the Eastern Gate for Jesus
D. Jesus will sit on His Throne at the Temple in Jerusalem
1. The entire globe will be ruled by One Government
2. The Lamb of God on His Throne
3. He will rule with His victorious Saints for 1,000 years
4. The 2nd Palm Sunday Processional brings the Millennium
E. The question is, "Will I meet you there in Jerusalem?"
1. That question is settled in your heart, now, not later
2. Today, now is God's Accepted Time for you - 2 Cor. 6:2
"For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the
day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted
time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
TWO PALM SUNDAY PROCESSIONS
Matthew 21:1-11 (NKJV)
1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.
3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."
4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
5 "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.' "
6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.
8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!"
10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"
11 So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."
TWO PALM SUNDAY PROCESSIONS
Zechariah 14:1-5 (NKJV)
1 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle.
4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.
5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You.
TWO PALM SUNDAY PROCESSIONS
CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: BEIRUT, LEBANON (BP) --
The Christian relief team heard about the needy Syrian widow living outside a Lebanese Muslim village near the Syrian border. So they took food to her.
Apparently, Jesus had been there first.
A refugee from the civil war in Syria, the Muslim widow, along with her three children, had sought shelter in Lebanon -- like more than 100,000 other Syrians. She was observing a traditional 40-day period of solitude to mourn her dead husband, so she had received nothing from the local Islamic aid society.
When the Christians knocked at her door, the widow appeared fully covered in black, including an opaque veil over her face. She explained her period of self-isolation. They offered to leave the food outside, but she unexpectedly invited them in. They sat with her and her children on the floor of the temporary dwelling.
"Who are you?" she asked anxiously.
"You don't know us, but we have great love in our hearts toward you," the team leader answered, explaining their reasons for helping Syrian refugees. "That love comes from God, who has worked in our lives."
To their amazement, she responded by removing her veil --— unheard of in her conservative Muslim culture. Then the words came flooding out.
"I want to tell you what happened to me yesterday," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "As I was sleeping during the night, someone knocked on my door. I was so scared, but I opened the window to see who it was. No one was there. After a while, I heard the same knocking. My heart was beating so fast, so I went and sat beside the door, and I fell asleep there.
"As I was sleeping, someone put His hand on my shoulder. He said, 'You don't know Me. You have passed through a great pain. I experienced a great pain, also. But I will not leave you alone. Tomorrow I will send you someone who will tell you about Me. Listen to him.'"
Closing Illustration, p.2
When she finished the story, she began to weep. She turned to the team leader and said, "Tell me about this person that I saw in my dream."
Through his own tears, the leader told her about Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the friend of widows, orphans and outcasts. "This Book that I'm going to give you will explain to you about God's love," he promised, giving her a Bible along with additional aid to help her and her children survive the mourning period.
The widow later returned to Syria. No one knows for sure what has become of her. She now belongs to God and she is in His hands.
NOTE TO READERS: The deepening crisis created by the civil war in Syria poses a major threat not only to the continued existence of that nation but to the stability of an already chaotic Middle East. This story and the following other stories cover the growing Christian ministry to thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing into neighboring countries.
As Syria disintegrates in war, Christians give refugees hope
Wounded warrior learns power of forgiveness
https://www.moodymedia.org/articles/mount-olives/
Jerusalem has seen many armies and generals enter through its gates - Nebuchadnezzar, Titus with the Romans, the Muslims and Crusaders in the Middle Ages, General Allenby in WWI, Moshe Dayan in the Six Day War - but the most famous entrance of all wasn't made with great armies, but by a lone rabbi riding on a donkey on Palm Sunday. More significant, pivotal, and powerful than all the rest was the life and effect of this one Jewish man - Yeshua; Jesus. So the greatest thing that can happen in your life is not money, power, successes, or accomplishments - it's the entrance of Messiah into your heart, not just once but every day of your life. The most important thing you can ever do is learn to receive Him. Get your eyes off the things that will mean nothing in the end and set your eyes and heart on doing something far more important. Learn to truly receive your Mess iah - Hi s love, His joy, and His indwelling presence. Of all the things that will ever happen in your life, this will by far be the greatest.
From Message #604 - The Donkey And The Clouds
Scripture: Psalm 13:5
