The King’s Comings: First Coming - The Humble King / Second Coming - The Just King - Matthew 21 & Revelation 19

Good morning, family. Open up to Matthew 21,

Revelation 19. You're going to see some things

that you probably never saw or heard today. It's

not like it's never been taught. But that being

said, before we dig in, we're going to do the...

The doctrinal focus today. So doctrinal focus,

I will read the question, you will read the answer.

Westminster Shorter Catechism, question number

28. Wherein consists Christ's exaltation? Christ's

exaltation consists in his rising from the dead

on the third day and his ascending into heaven.

and in sitting at the right hand of God the Father,

and in coming to judge the world at the last

day. So this doctrine is fitting for today, because

I think a lot of times when we go through Scripture,

we have a tendency to look at things in a way

that, I don't know if it's the idea of simplification,

but there is some very important truths in these

two verses. And I think sometimes it's missed

that there is more than one triumphal entry.

You're like, no way, that's impossible. We're

going to prove it biblically. And I think you'll

be able to look at the days coming to Jesus'

crucifixion and be able to see this in the scripture.

And really, the two things we're going to focus

on today is the donkey and the horse, the donkey

and her colt. and the horse. So before we get

started, we're going to pray, and then we're

going to dig in. I hope you guys got notebooks,

and I hope you enjoyed today's message. Father,

I want to thank you so much for your faithfulness

and goodness. Thank you that you are righteous

good, that all things are done for your purpose

and glory, that everything throughout the scripture

speaks of you in ways that our minds can't even

fathom, that we will know fully even as we are

fully known one day when we see you face to face.

Lord, we praise you and thank you that you are

holy, righteous, and good, and that your people

are yours. May we see the majesty of the humble

king and the glory of the just king, the coming

king. Lord, we praise you and thank you for your

faithfulness. In Jesus' name, amen. Matthew 21.

It says, Now when they drew near to Jerusalem

and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives,

then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them,

Go into the village in front of you, and immediately

you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her.

Untie them, bring them to me. If anyone says

anything to you, you shall say, 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, a colt, the fowl 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 be 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. Some things I want you to

take notice. Matthew Henry writes concerning

this, the provision that was made for this dignified

rite or royal ceremony was very poor and ordinary,

and such as bespoke his kingdom to be not of

this world. There were no heralds at arms provided,

no trumpet sounded before him, no chariots of

state, no royal guards in procession attire.

Such things as these were not agreeable to his

present state of humiliation, but will be far

outdone at his second coming to which his magnificent

appearance. is reserved. When the last trumpet

shall sound, the glorious angels shall be his

heralds and attendants, and the clouds his chariots.

But in this public appearance, you can only imagine

what that day will be. Can you think about that?

That there was nothing concerning his coming

in as king would even have spoken that the king

had arrived. Why a donkey in a cult? Many of

you guys have probably, I know we talked about

this last year, that the reality of Christ riding

on a donkey was part of the story. It's actually

a donkey and a colt. He rode on both. Matthew

is very clear here. And so is Zachariah. Why

a donkey and her colt, her fowl, her male son?

To fulfill what was written in Zachariah. Chapter

9, verse 9. Rejoice greatly, O 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 fowl of a donkey, to show that

he alone is king, who has come to judge sin,

like the judges of Israel in Judges 5 .10. So

I want you to understand this. Before there was

a king, they would have judges. The judges were

the ones that ruled the people of Israel for

God. They were the ones who God has set in place

because God was the king. Well, there came a

time when they no longer wanted judges. They

demanded a king, and Samuel was the last of the

judges. And so we see in Judges chapter 5 verse

Judges 5:10

10 what the judge would ride on. It says, Tell

of it, you who ride on white donkeys, who sit

on rich carpets, you who walk by the way, talking

about the judge. The judge would ride a white

donkey because horses were few and in between

in those days. A donkey is how the leader would

ride in. And in most cases, especially before

the times of kings, when a judge would ride in

too, a tribe, or into the nation, they knew that

God was sending some really bad news. We also

know that the sons of judges rode donkeys. And

like the sons of the judges in Judges 12, 13

through 14, after him, Abdon, the son of Hillel,

the Perithnight, judged Israel. He had 40 sons

and 30 grandsons who rode on 70 colts, and he

judged Israel eight years. Can you see that?

That the sons of the judge rode on a fowl, a

colt. The king of Israel, the son of God, comes

riding on a donkey, humble king. And on her colt,

the beast of burden, not as conqueror, but as

a humble king to judge sin and give his life

as a ransom for many. Now do you see the importance

of the donkey and her colt? It's not by an accident.

It's not just the importance of fulfilling scripture,

which God does always in his prophecies, but

it's also to tell a story that the humble king

who has come to judge sin will die. He will carry

the burden of his people. The king and his donkey,

the first coming, the humble king. Christ came

his first time. Many would say that his first

coming was at his birth, and that is true. But

when he enters Jerusalem as king, his first coming,

we know what happened then. Matthew 21, 4 -7

says this, This took place to fulfill what was

spoken by the prophet, saying, Say to the daughter

of Zion, Behold, see! Look, your king is coming

to you. I like what Zechariah, what it says in

Zechariah is that he comes humble and bringing

salvation. If they only remembered. Humble and

mounted on a donkey, on a colt, a young donkey,

the fowl. The fowl of a donkey is a male donkey,

the son of the mother donkey, if you could say

that. What was a fowl? The fowl was a beast of

burden. The fowl was young enough and strong

enough to carry all the junk that the old donkeys

couldn't carry. The 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. The king, to carry

the burden of his people, sits humbly on the

donkeys. Why should you or how should you respond?

to the humble king. I would say, don't respond

like the people of Israel because they got it

wrong. How should you respond? The people's response

to the humble king, Matthew 21, 8 through 11

says, most of the crowds spread their cloaks

on the road and others cut branches from the

trees and spread them on the road. This was his.

red carpet moment. And then it says, and the

crowd that went before him, that followed him,

were shouting, Hosanna, Yashana in the Hebrew.

Yashana, Hosanna means save us, we pray. Isn't

that amazing that he did come to save them, but

they never saw the king. To the son of David,

blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,

Yashana in the highest. And when he entered Jerusalem,

the whole city was stirred up saying, who is

this? Who's this guy? It's the same response

they gave when they were in the desert begging

God for bread. They wake up in the morning and

there's man all over the ground. And they go,

what is that? Who's this guy? Interesting, isn't

it? Notice what it says. And the crowd said,

this is the prophet. Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.

After all, does anything good come from Nazareth?

Of course not. They had just paid attention to

Zechariah's prophecy that the king would ride

on a donkey and he is coming to bring salvation.

They would have said, praise be the king, but

that's not the king they wanted. The king they

wanted was a king who would destroy Rome. See,

if Jesus came in, guns a blazing, taken thrones.

Oh, he's our king now. But the reality is the

victory he won was the victory over sin. They

didn't want forgiveness of sin. They didn't want

a king to destroy the great Goliath of every

human life. So when you watch and you look at

a movie of David and Goliath, no, it's not Goliath

meaning your depression and all the things you

go through. It is sin. Goliath was undefeated.

No one could beat him except a king and a rock.

No one can defeat sin except the king who is

the rock. All Jerusalem missed the king. Oh,

it's the prophet. You see, he came not as a conquering

king, but as a king who gave his life for his

people, not in war. but to set the captives free,

not in wrath, but to bring peace, not with an

army, but alone and abandoned by his friends.

But that's not the end. Revelation 19 verse 11

Revelation 19:11–16

through 16 tells of another triumphal entry,

a second coming that we must pay attention to.

Except this time it's not a donkey, it's a horse.

And look what it says. Then I saw heaven open

and behold a white horse and one sitting on it

is called faithful and true and in righteousness

he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a

flame of fire and on his head are many diadems.

And he has a name written that no one knows but

himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood,

and the name by which he is called is the Word

of God. Logos Elohim. And the armies of heaven,

arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following

him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp

sword with which to strike down the nations,

and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He

will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath

of God, the Almighty. On his robe and on his

thigh, he has a name written, King of Kings and

Lord of Lords. Isn't that amazing? This second

triumphal entry will be like none other. The

second coming of Christ, the just king who has

returned as promised. Then I saw heaven open,

just like he rode in to Jerusalem and went to

the temple. He, heaven will open and every eye

will see him on that day. The first day, surprise,

the king is here. Who's this guy? The second

time, surprise, the king is here. Oh my gosh.

Terrified. Because he's not coming on a donkey

this time. He's coming on a horse to make war.

That's our God. If you ever get a chance to listen

to that message. It's a message called, That's

My King. Look it up. It's on YouTube. You'll

love it. But look, it says, the one sitting.

on this horse. Behold, look, pay attention, see

the white horse. The one sitting on it is called

faithful and true. The word true here means that

which by nature corresponds to and has the name,

the genuine, the real, the true. In other words,

his name, faithful and true, is who he is. And

in righteousness, in justice, in virtue that

gives each one their due. Understand this. Christ

came to take away for his people what was due

to them. Death. When he comes this time, he will

give what's due to them. His wrath. They will

get their due. He judges. This word judges means

to summon to trial. That one's case is examined

and judgment is passed. When he comes, you will

be brought before the throne of the king and

he will pass judgment upon you and it will be

done. You don't have any hope once he returns.

Now is your hope. Now, if you hear him call,

repent. Now is the day of salvation. Not tomorrow.

Not when I get my life right. Not when everything

becomes okay for me. By then it might be too

late. Now, don't harden your hearts. Isn't that

interesting? He comes to judge. He comes to examine

one's case and to pass condemnation. And he makes

war. If you're a dude, that's right. It's done.

Let's go. It's the idea. The just king reigns.

The just king reigns. Revelation 19, 12 through

16 says, his eyes are like flame of fire. There

is nothing outside of his purview. He sees all

things all the way down to the minute detail

that you can imagine. He knows the thoughts and

intents of your heart. He can know and see all

things. He has a name written that no one knows

but himself. Can you imagine how holy and magnificent

that name is? There's no words in the English

language or in any language on the face of the

earth that can describe God sufficiently. But

this name, he is clothed in a robe dipped in

blood. Whose blood? His blood. His blood. He

dipped his robe in blood for you. It's not him

riding on a horse and the blood going up to the

bridle. That's the blood. No. This blood. His

blood. Why? Because the name by which he is called

is the word of God. The gospel. The word of God.

The living word. And the armies. You notice this.

Chris Tomlin sings a God of many armies. This

is not just an army. This is armies upon armies.

And the armies of heaven arrayed in fine linen,

white and pure, were following him on white horses.

Who are those arrayed in fine linen, white and

pure? All of his people. Those who have been

martyred. Who have given their lives for Christ

and his gospel. Those who belong to him. You

are those who are arrayed in fine linen with

white and pure. And look what it says. we are

following him on white horses, just like the

sons of Abdon. Why? Because the judge of all

the universe has entered into man's presence

again as judge and king, and his sons follow

him. What a terrifying moment for the world to

see. I don't know about you, I'm kind of glad

to be part of that army. And on a white horse

at that. You know why it's white horses? for

you and me, because we're royalty. From his mouth

comes a sharp sword with which he strikes down

the nations. He destroys the nations by the very

word of his mouth. What a day that will be. And

he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will

tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath

of God the Almighty. If you have any questions

about that, turn to chapter 14. Verse 17, it

says, then another angel came out of the temple

in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. And

another angel came out from the altar, the angel

who has authority over the fire. And he called

out with a loud voice to the one who had the

sharp sickle, put in your sickle and gather the

clusters from the vine of the earth. for its

grapes are ripe. So the angel swung the sickle

across the earth and gathered the grape harvest

of the earth and threw it into the great winepress

of the wrath of God. I'm going to make this as

gently as I possibly can, and I say it respectfully

and lovingly. If you're stuck in dispensational

theology, run. Get out of it. Because chapter

14, is a clear reference to chapter 19 of him

coming and he will tread the winepress of the

fury of the wrath of God. It's pretty clear.

This is a God who reigns and rules. This is the

greatness of our God, the glory that he alone

is judge and that no sin will go uncovered. Why?

Because when he comes this time, when he comes

again, he comes as a conquering king, a righteous

judge, waging war, judging the nations, pouring

out his wrath. He comes with armies, not alone,

but with myriads upon myriads, all riding white

horses. Why? Because he's the Lamb of God. He

is the King of Kings, and he is the Lord of Lords.

He reigns. So every Palm Sunday, You have from

now on, I hope you see that the king who comes

in humbly will return on a horse as just and

righteous king. He reigns, make no mistake. So

much so that he stated all authority. All authority

has been given unto me. And he also says, today,

the enemy will be cast down. Today, we have no

enemy. That's greater than sin itself by which

he has gained victory over life, over death,

sin, and the grave. There is no greater enemies.

And the greatest of those enemies is sin. It's

not Satan. Satan is a created creature. How important

is our king to you? So what do you do this week?

What should you do every single day of the week?

365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Preach Christ

and him crucified. He's coming again. That's

your responsibility as believers. Tell the world

of the king and the work that the king has done.

He reigns. He rules. You have no enemy greater

than the issue of sin. He has defeated that enemy.

Live victoriously. Our king has won. And we will

be coming riding on white horses. as we follow

him into the kingdom that he has prepared for

us. Father, I want to thank you so much for your

goodness and faithfulness. Thank you, Lord, for

your word. Thank you that you are king. Thank

you that you will bring us with you. Thank you

that you have established your kingdom forever

and ever, and that you have established your

church. And that upon the gospel, the proclamation

that you died on the cross, was buried and rose

again on the third day to give us life. Upon

that truth, Lord, you have built your church.

She is strong. She is firm. She is immovable.

And the gates of hell will not prevail over her.

We praise you and thank you that you have brought

us into your family. To you be honor and glory,

power and might forever. In Jesus' name, amen.