The King Is Coming! – Part 1

Published Mar 29, 2024, 5:00 AM

Today on Bold Steps, a special message for Good Friday and the preparation for Easter. This is Good Friday, which means Easter is coming on Sunday ... and so today, Pastor Mark Jobe is going to be helping set the scene describing the lead up to Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, and the preparation for His ultimate sacrifice, which was done for us. It is titled … The King is Coming!

 

Today a special message for Good Friday and the preparation for Easter with Mark Jobe on bold steps.

When the King comes, he makes things fall into place. Do not miss that he is prepared away, calling you to step into your space. And some of you don't even recognize that Jesus is here knocking at your door, walking by. You do not miss the fact that the King has come.

Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, president of Moody Bible Institute and senior pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. Well, this is, of course, Good Friday. Easter is coming on Sunday. And so, Mark, today you're going to be helping us set the scene, which is described when leads up to Jesus arrival in Jerusalem.

Yeah, it's a magnificent scene. Jesus, the King of Kings, is arriving humbly, but in preparation for his death, burial and resurrection. And you know, as you prepare for your Easter, as many of us are, don't miss the message, the powerful message of Jesus and people singing Hosanna, shouting Hosanna, throwing their palms and clothes in front of that donkey because Jesus was about to be crucified shortly after that. So this is a powerful, powerful time to get in the mood of celebrating the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Sunday is coming. All right. This message was given last year on Palm Sunday and it's titled The King is Coming. Let's listen.

Have you ever had someone? That was coming to your house that you felt like, oh, I better get my house ready because it's a special guest. And you know what happens. Panic sets in. Suddenly you're wanting to paint that room and fix this and decorate that. And you want to throw everything in the closet? Why? Because the guest is coming and you want to prepare. How many of you know what I'm talking about? How many of you have been in the panic mode of trying to get ready for a guest and your kids say, what's the big deal? Clean your room. Hurry. Why? Because a special guest is coming, and there is preparation that has to be made. That has to be done because the guest is coming. And so I would like you to take your Bibles and turn to Matthew chapter 21. We're going to be looking at verses one through 17 of Matthew chapter 21. I need you to listen today because some of us are aware of God, but we miss the moment and the significance of what God is doing. So I want to make sure that you don't miss the fact that Jesus the King is coming. Some of us the most important. Person in our life is showing up. And if we're not ready, we'll miss the moment where God moves with power. So don't miss the moment because the King is coming. Tap the person beside you and say, the king is coming. I was this past week interviewed by a USA today reporter about the significance of Palm Sunday. And I was mentioning to this reporter that Palm Sunday is significant not because of what happened as much as what it's pointing to. Uh, Palm Sunday tends to be the beginning of the quote unquote Holy Week leading up to the significant event, which was the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. But there's a powerful significance in what happened over 2000 years ago on what we call Palm Sunday. It was in the fourth century or so that it's the first recorded celebration of the Palm Sunday in Jerusalem. It was not until about the ninth century that the Western Church started to really celebrate Palm Sunday. I want to take you all the way back 2000 years ago to Jerusalem. I'm going to be looking at Matthew chapter 21. Although this event was so significant that all four of the Gospels mention what we would call the triumphal entry of Jesus. So I want you to rewind 2000 years ago. Let's zoom in on a week before. Passover. Jesus has just spent a day with some friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. There is a buzz happening because just a couple of days earlier, Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead. People from all over were hearing about the miracle of the man that was dead for four days, was stinking, was already deteriorated. And Jesus, this Messiah, this healer, this rabbi, this man from God had spoken into a tomb and had spoken words of power that raised the dead. The people were whispering about it. Talking about it. Have you seen the man? Have you heard of Jesus? Did you know what happened? Have you? Is that amazing? People were gathering around to see the man that was raised from the dead, Lazarus. News had spread around. People that were looking for a miracle were gathering to see what had happened. In John chapter 12, it says that six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, a small village a few miles outside of Jerusalem, just beyond the Mount of Olives. There he stayed. He shared a meal with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Word had spread that Jesus had recently raised Lazarus from the dead, and the curious crowds began to gather. In verse nine of John it says. Meanwhile, a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for an account of him. Many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. You see what's happening? Here's what I want you to know. If you're taking notes, I want you to write this down. This is very important. King Jesus always is preparing a way for his entrance. King Jesus is always preparing a way for his entrance at the right time. You see up until that time. Jesus was actually downplaying his significance. He was telling people, don't tell people that I healed you. Have you ever read that in Scripture and say, why would Jesus tell this person not to tell people? Uh, you said, that's strange. I would tell people. There's several occasions in which Jesus goes to solitary places. He runs from the crowd. He tells people, don't tell people that I healed you. Don't tell anyone. Not because he was ashamed, but because his time had not yet come to be manifest to the world. He was not yet ready. Jesus understood that when he revealed himself as King, it would set in motion a series of event that ultimately would lead to his death, burial, and resurrection. So Jesus was preparing for the right timing. You know, God has a timing. Jesus knew you would think that Jesus would want to gather the crowds, tell everybody about it. But Jesus was saying he was running from the crowds. He was escaping from the crowds because his timing had not yet come. Something significant happens here, something different. He raises Lazarus from the dead. Listen, God is always preparing for his coming. God is always preparing for his entrance. Some of you are here today because God has prepared you powerfully. He's prepared you emotionally. He's prepared you spiritually for the entrance of the King. And so the Bible tells us that he goes deliberately. Lazarus was raised deliberately. One of the most talked about miracles in all the New Testament happened. Why? Because the King is coming. He goes to the house of Lazarus. Why? Because he's about to this time gather a crowd. He's about to this time announce that he is king. He's about this time he's preparing himself because Jesus was getting ready to come for his ultimate mission. And his ultimate mission was that he would die in a cross for you and I. He was opening up the door for his arrest, for his beating and for his crucifixion. But he was in charge of the timing. He was preparing for it. Notice what it says. In Matthew chapter 21, it says, as they approached Jerusalem and they came to Bethpage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples saying to them, go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say the Lord needs them and he will send them right away. So normally Jesus is quiet. Normally Jesus goes in the back door. Normally, Jesus for the three years of ministry has been telling people, don't tell anybody. Oftentimes, Jesus is going out to solitary places to escape from the crowd. This time is different this time. He knows the crowd is there. This time he actually asked them to get a donkey because he's about to go into Jerusalem. What's changed this time? Why is he embracing the crowd? Why is he actually going into the crowd riding in a donkey like the Kings would do? Because this time he's about to declare himself. The King has come. Listen to what the Bible says. The Bible says that meanwhile, as they they. This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet hundreds of years before. That said, say to the daughter of Zion, see, your King comes to you gentle riding on a donkey, on a colt. The fall of a donkey. Several hundred years before, the prophet Zechariah had prophesied that Jesus would come and he prophesied in Zechariah chapter nine verse nine, rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion, shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly, riding on a donkey, on a colt, a full of a donkey. You see, Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy that had been made hundreds of years before. Why? Because the kings come.

You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. A special message leading up to Easter and will continue momentarily. But first, a quick reminder that all of Mark's daily Bible lessons are available for easy access anytime on our website. Bold steps. Radio. Org. And you know you don't have to be near a radio or a computer to hear the Bold Steps program by subscribing to the Bold Steps podcast on your mobile device, you can easily take these messages with you wherever you go and listen while you're out for a walk or running errands, maybe out in nature. Just search for bold steps with doctor Mark Jobe on your podcast app or any of our family programs such as Bold Steps Weekend, Bold Steps Minute and our Spanish Minute. Pasos audacious and hit the subscribe button. And since we're nearing the end of the month, there's a little time left to get your copy of our special Bold Step gift, but we'll tell you more about how to do that at the end of the program. Now let's continue with today's message. The King is coming. Here again is Mark Jobe.

So this time Jesus says, bring me a colt, a fool of a donkey. This was a young donkey that had never been ridden on before. And I want you to notice that Jesus does not call for a stallion or a horse, because kings and princes, in those days, ever since the days of Solomon, would ride on horses, stallions, regal chariots. But the King of kings in this time, in this place was riding on a lowly donkey, a labor animal on purpose, not only on a donkey, but the the, the fall of a donkey, a small colt that had never been ridden before. Why? It was the fulfillment of prophecy, because hundreds of years before, Zechariah had announced that the King of Glory would come in that way. All of Jerusalem, all the Jewish people, knew this would be a time where the King would come, and this is how he would come. The Bible tells us that before he arrives to Jerusalem. It doesn't tell us in Matthew, but it tells us in Luke that Jesus as he's approaching Jerusalem, it says that as he got closer to Jerusalem, he saw the city in Luke chapter 19, verse 41 through 44. And the Bible says that as Jesus approached Jerusalem, he begins to weep. So Jesus, approaching Jerusalem, begins to sob. He sees the city that has been around for centuries, chosen by God, originally called the City of David, and he begins to weep over the city, sobbing over the city. And he says, how I wish today that you, of all people, would understand the way to peace. But now it's too late, and the peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground. And your children, you and your children, your enemies will not leave a single stone in this place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you. You see, Jesus sees the past, present, and future. Jesus saw into the future. He saw that in 70 A.D., the Romans, after revolt from the Jewish people would encamp around Jerusalem, and those Romans would encircle Jerusalem. They would massacre the citizens, they would start a fire, would be started by the Jews to stop their advance. The Romans would do a counter fire, and finally Jerusalem would be destroyed and the temple for the second time would be torn down. Jesus saw it. It would be happening 30 some years from now, but he saw it into the future. The king is coming. And I want you to notice what he says. He weeps because he says because you did not recognize it when your God visited you. Listen, I'm talking to someone here today. I'm speaking to someone that God is visiting you and you don't even know it. I'm talking to someone here that God is getting your attention, tapping you on the shoulder through a dream, through a word, through circumstances. And you're not. You don't even know it's God that the God of the universe, the God Almighty, God, omnipotent and powerful, has stepped into your world, stepped into your space, is calling upon you, getting your attention. And we're oblivious to the fact that it's the God of the universe. The King is coming. You see what the people did not understand? On that day as Jesus symbolically rode a donkey into Jerusalem. What they did not understand is that this was not just a rabbi, a healer. He was not just a sorcerer, a person with intelligent words. A person with the gift of healing. No, no, no, he was much more than that. He was God himself, the God man. He was what the Bible would call the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He was the king of all humanity. He was what? He was the descendant of David, the King of Israel. There was a king among them that they didn't even recognize was among them. And he wept over Jerusalem because he thought, if you had only known who was here, your God was in the midst of you, and you missed that God was among you. You said. It's interesting that. He came when he did. It was six days before the Passover that he met in Bethany, and the very next day, on the fifth day, he made his way into Jerusalem. Do you remember what the Passover was? They would sprinkle the blood of the lamb on the doorpost and the wrath of God, for the Israelites would pass over them, and so the firstborn would not be killed. Do you remember that Passover? The Passover? The Bible tells us this. Listen, it's interesting that Jesus. Was coming in on that day, five days before the Passover. The Passover is the biggest Jewish feast that they would have. Jerusalem was packed with people. 1500 years ago in Egypt, on the 10th day of Nissan, which was five days before the Passover, the Jewish people were asked to bring a lamb without any blemish into their house because they would be they were going to slaughter that lamb a few days from now. Listen, they were to bring a lamb with no blemish into their house on that very same day, 1500 years later, right before the Passover, the King of kings. But yet the Lamb of God was stepping into the house of Jerusalem. He knew that he would be slaughtered only a few days from them. Do you get it? He was not just the King of kings. He was the lamb to be slaughtered. He was fulfilling prophecy. This had been prepared hundreds of years before. The king is coming. And when the king comes, he prepares away. When the king comes, he makes things fall into place. The king is coming to your place, to your house, to your life, to your space. And I don't want you to miss the fact that the King is coming. Do not miss that he is prepared away, calling you to step into your space. And some of you don't even recognize that Jesus is here. Some of you don't even recognize that Jesus is in your space, knocking at your door, walking by. You do not miss the fact that the King is coming. You know why we missed the fact that the king is coming? Because sometimes he doesn't come the way we expect him to come. King Jesus comes in countercultural ways. So the disciples went out and they got the donkey, the colt, and there they placed their coat on the donkey, and Jesus sat on it. And the Bible says, A very large crowd spread their coats on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, Hosanna! To the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest! When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, who is this? You said, the thing about King Jesus is that when he comes. He doesn't always come the way we expect. And Jesus come saying, he who wants to be great in the kingdom of God must learn to serve. He came as a healer. As a servant. He was born in a manger, not in a palace. You see, this kingdom is an upside down kingdom. This kingdom is a different kingdom, and sometimes we miss the king because he comes different than what we expect. Jesus deliberately said, I want to ride on a donkey. Not even a mature donkey. I want to ride on a baby donkey. A different kind of king. A king that comes to serve. A king that comes to heel. King Jesus.

Well, this message from Mark Jobe will continue on Monday, the day after we celebrate Easter on Sunday. And by the way, Mark, this is a great opportunity for us to invite people to church on Sunday. They might say yes on Easter when they might not. Any other time of the year, 100%.

You know, Wayne, I've talked to so many people when I ask them, so when did you first hear the gospel? And they tell me I was invited on Easter and felt like I needed to go somewhere to church. So I want to talk to you that are a believer in Jesus Christ. You are convinced you're ready to celebrate. Don't miss the opportunity to invite a neighbor, a family member, a friend. Maybe you should pull out your phone right now and text someone. Say to them, hey, I was thinking about you. Would you mind coming to church with me on Easter if you don't have any other church to go?

My surprise you.

Hey, we baptized a woman just recently. Her husband texted her on Palm Sunday, invited her next week to church. She never went to church. She came. She was open to the gospel, came to Christ shortly after and got baptized because he sent her a text saying, would you join me for Easter Sunday? So my challenge is, don't miss the moment to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus by inviting people who you know need to hear the message.

All right. Thank you, Mark, and we'll get to the final half of today's bold Steph's message Monday. So make plans to listen. Then earlier, we mentioned that time was running out for you to request this month's Bold Step gift. So I want to encourage you right now to go to our website, Bold Steps global. Com and get your copy of doctor Bill Thrashers book, How to Resurrect a Dead Prayer Life. The standalone guide on Prayer offers a step by step approach to enhancing your prayer practice. It's backed by research, real world experience and, of course, biblical truth. It's packed with tips and techniques to help you revitalize your spiritual connection. And with a foreword by Mark Jobe and his wife, Dee, we really do endorse these profound lessons of this resource. Just ask for the book How to Resurrect a Dead Prayer Life. When you give a donation of any amount to Bold Steps, give us a call at 800 D.L. Moody that works out to be 1-800-356-6639 or give online at Bold Steps radio org. You can also send your gift and request the book in the mail. Simply address a letter to Bold Steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten that's 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. Well, I'm Wayne Sheppard, and on behalf of everyone at Bold Steps, I hope you have a good Friday and a very happy Easter. We're continuing with our message. The King is coming next week, so join us then. That's Monday on Bold Steps with Mark Joe. Bold Steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.

Bold Steps with Dr. Mark Jobe

Bold Steps with Dr. Mark Jobe takes you on the path to freedom and authenticity in Christ. With cand 
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