Hosanna to the King!

John 12:12-19 Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³ They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

   “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:“Do not be afraid, Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. ¹⁸ Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

Palm Sunday is described as the beginning of the journey to the cross by Jesus. It denotes His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem where it would all take place.

It is also a point in time that the disciples would remember for the rest of their lives.  As they entered the city and heard the shouts of ‘Hosanna to the King’ and probably shouted right along with them; it would be a different ‘Hosanna’ that they would shout many years later in their lives.

At this point in time; none of the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were still under the earthly ministry of Jesus and being taught by the Master. Everything that they went through was a learning experience for the future when Jesus would not be with them any longer; but would live in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.

We have the indwelling of that same Holy Spirit in us that Jesus had in Him and the disciples had in them after He (Jesus) was resurrected and went to Heaven.

Will we be singing ‘Hosanna’ this Sunday with no deep love or will we be singing ‘HOSANNA’ this Sunday full of a heart that loves Jesus and KNOWS what He has done for us?

The disciples entered that city (Jerusalem) that day with Jesus - triumphant and a week later they would be hiding because they were afraid of who they had been with and what they had done for the past three and ½ years. They feared for their lives after Jesus was crucified.

This is a picture of our Christian walk. We have ups and downs and understand that we are clearly human. Often things don’t make sense and cause fear and that week I am sure that things didn’t make sense to the disciples.

Some of the scenes of the week:

They watched as Jesus rode ‘triumphantly’ into the city and rejoiced with Him and all the people who were gathered.

They watched Jesus pray over the city He loved so much.

They let Jesus wash their feet.

They ate a meal with Him.

They listened to Him tell about Heaven.

They listened as Jesus told them about the coming Holy Spirit.

They listened as Jesus prayed for them.

They watched Him be arrested.

They watched Him be tried in open court.

They watched Him be crucified.

They saw the empty tomb where His body had been put after the crucifixion. 

They experienced Jesus as the Risen Lord when He was resurrected.

There was no accident that all this took place. It was foretold long ago by prophets, priests and kings. It all happened just as the Bible said it would happen. It happened for a reason.

Verse 16 tells the story of the why – and relates it to us:  “At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.”

©       At first we do not understand – We may come to church and sing ‘Hosanna’ and not understand a thing in the world about it! We may say, ‘it is just part of being a Christian.’ (The disciples were the same way; they entered that city on Palm Sunday and sang right along with everyone else; but they didn’t really understand).

©       When we realize our Salvation is personal – that what Jesus did; He did for each of us – it makes more sense. The Holy Spirit begins to speak inside our soul just like the Holy Spirit spoke into the disciple’s souls after Jesus was resurrected and ascended to Heaven. Even though they had questions; they KNEW that it was real. They knew that they had experienced JESUS! And just like them; when we get saved; we KNOW that we have experienced JESUS!

©       When it finally dawns on us that we did these things to Him – Everything that Jesus suffered in that week and leading up to His crucifixion – was put on Him by us! WE PUT HIM ON THE CROSS! Our sin is the reason He had to die there. The disciples felt the same weight. We as believers see that Jesus died for each of us personally. He took our sin so that we can become sons and heirs with Him in Heaven. It has to be a personal Salvation for each person; just like it was a personal Salvation experience for each one of the disciples!

Now if we fast forward to the book of Acts. Acts 2:1-2  ¹ “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting."

When the Holy Spirit filled the disciples on the Day at Pentecost; they had full knowledge of the Lord and what He had done for each of them. They were filled with His Word and preached and taught from that time forward about the Salvation of the Lord.

We are the same way! When we find the Lord of Salvation and begin a relationship with Him by prayer and forgiveness of sin and a longing to be in His presence; we are CHANGED! We begin to share Jesus with all people and KNOW that He is LORD because the Holy Spirit moves us to!

When we sing ‘Hosanna’ we are singing ‘HOSANNA’ to the KING of kings! Because that is what He is to us. Hosanna literally means ‘save now, I pray’. If you hear this word this week in church or on the radio; it applies to you as the believer in Christ! After all Jesus has done to make sure that Salvation comes; we should be praising Him for that! Hosanna to the King – should ring in our hearts!

Everything that happened that week to Jesus and to the disciples happened for a reason! They believed and experienced God in such a way that they were changed forever! That is what we are supposed to do. The very same thing; be changed forever!

God is amazing! We need to see it that way and believe that He is Mighty in our lives! That the Holy Spirit is speaking to us just as clearly as He was speaking to the disciples!

It is my prayer that this week we begin to see Jesus as dying for us to bring us Salvation and as Palm Sunday approaches; that we will sing ‘HOSANNA TO THE KING OF KINGS’ and really mean it! We won’t be following a crowd; but rather FOLLOWING JESUS!

The Great Providence of God Answers the 'Why' of This Life

Definition of Providence…From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
Providence literally means foresight, forethought; but is generally used to denote God's preserving and governing all things. (Ps. 18:35; 63:8; Acts 17:28; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3). God's providence extends to the natural world (Ps. 104:14; 135:5-7; Acts 14:17), the brute creation (Ps. 104:21-29; Matt. 6:26; 10:29), and the affairs of men (1 Chr. 16:31; Ps. 47:7; Prov. 21:1; Job 12:23; Dan. 2:21; 4:25), and of individuals (1 Sam. 2:6; Ps. 18:30; Luke 1:53; James 4:13-15). It extends also to the free actions of men (Ex. 12:36; 1 Sam. 24:9-15; Ps. 33:14, 15; Prov. 16:1; 19:21; 20:24; 21:1), and things sinful (2 Sam. 16:10; 24:1; Rom. 11:32; Acts 4:27, 28), as well as to their good actions (Phil. 2:13; 4:13; 2 Cor. 12:9, 10; Eph. 2:10; Gal. 5:22-25). As regards sinful actions of men, they are represented as occurring by God's permission (Gen. 45:5; 50:20. Comp. 1 Sam. 6:6; Ex. 7:13; 14:17; Acts 2:3; 3:18; 4:27, 28), and as controlled (Ps. 76:10) and overruled for good (Gen. 50:20; Acts 3:13). God does not cause or approve of sin, but only limits, restrains, overrules it for good.

The mode of God's providential government is altogether unexplained. We only know that it is a fact that God does govern all his creatures and all their actions; that this government is universal (Ps. 103:17-19), particular (Matt. 10:29-31), embraces events apparently contingent (Prov. 16:9, 33; 19:21; 21:1), is consistent with his own perfection (2 Tim. 2:13), and to his own glory (Rom. 9:17; 11:36).

I think it is safe to say that the Bible speaks to Providence in our lives and that it is used by God to govern what happens to us, around us, behind us, ahead of us, through us and in us! That is why ONLY GOD is all knowing!

      Providence is why Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth. He came to make a way for us to be part of God’s Kingdom. God knew from the beginning that we would not be able to stay in fellowship with him because of sin. His plan and providence was that He would send His Son to do that one thing that we could not do; which is be sinless. Jesus came and modeled that for us and ultimately died on a cross and rose from the grave to conquer sin in this world so that we would be able to have Salvation.

The things that happened to Jesus were no accident. They happened to Him under God’s Providential Hand so that the entire world would know that He gave His all for us and that the entire world is worthy of the Salvation that Jesus bought and paid for with His own life.

      God has the same Providential Plan for us. He desires that we would give our all for Him in this life to bring as many people to Him as possible. He uses our lives; lived out; pointing toward Him to do so.

We do not see this. We think we are just living life, believing Jesus and moving forward from there. The bigger picture is that we are under the Providential Hand of God. We have a purpose and although we can’t know what it is…God DOES! Although the life we live here sometimes does not make sense…God KNOWS. When things happen to us that cannot be explained…God is INVOLVED! Our job as the believer in Christ is to BELIEVE that God is in control.

      This is the Providential Hand of God in our lives. We can’t always see the good in what He does but the Bible explains it all so beautifully…”All things work together for good to those who love Christ; to those who are called according to His purpose.”

When we can’t always ‘see’ this great truth…God is working Providentially. He is working in our lives with ‘forethought’. (This is what ‘providence’ means in Greek and Hebrew)

We serve a Mighty God and He IS ALWAYS a step ahead of us! There is great comfort in that. The believer can sense that God is in control and is willing to ‘wait’ upon Him in this life!

We always want to know ‘Who is in charge’. When something goes wrong…we ‘ask for the manager’…if we have a problem at the church it is always the ‘preacher’s fault’. As humans, we have to know that someone is in charge.

      God wants us to know THAT HE IS IN CHARGE! He has not forgotten us and He will bring it all together at some point. We do not have the brain capacity to understand this in its entirety. We can only understand a glimpse. It may be that we won’t understand until we are at the foot of the Jesus in Heaven!

• AS BELIEVERS WE SHOULD:
• Trust in Jesus; He lived out His life on earth so that we would have a pattern to follow.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

• Have full confidence in Jesus and the Plan of Providence that God is in control of.

Psalms 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

• Commit our works to the Lord; He has provided for us.

Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

• Encourage ourselves in Jesus even when we can’t understand the ‘why’.

1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

• Pray to be guided by by the Lord; even when we can't know 'why'.

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

God IS in control of all things! He was in control when Jesus walked this earth and gave the Promise of God to man. He is in control today in my life and in yours. The Providence of God is present even when we cannot see or understand. We should have assurance in that and believe that God is working ALL THE TIME! Spend some time this week in these verses of Scripture and begin to understand just how HUGE our God is. He is over everything! And He loves YOU…His creation--that much!