920-667-4301
E 9016 Marsh Rd.
Fremont, WI 54940

Sermons

                                                                                                                    March 24, 2024

                                                              "God Almighty in Human Flesh Rode into Jerusalem"

                                                                                                                   Philippians  2:5 - 11

 

 

Who was that humble man who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey? And why is it so important to know who He was? Our text from Philippians gives us the answer. As we see, the man who rode the donkey into Jerusalem was no ordinary man. If He had been, there would have been nothing significant about His riding into Jerusalem. But because He was more than just a mere man, His riding into Jerusalem takes on more significance than meets the eyes.

 

It’s apparent that even in the very early church, people wanted to know who Jesus was. Paul proclaimed a message of salvation in Jesus Christ to the people with whom he came in contact. These people wanted to know more about this Jesus person. Paul preached that they had to believe in Jesus. So, who was He?

 

Paul proceeds to explain who Jesus was in our text for today. We gather from our text that Jesus wasn’t just a gifted ordinary man. He was God Himself. He was God who took on our flesh in order to save us. In our text, we see the two natures of Christ borne out. We see that Paul makes the case that Jesus was both God and man. So, then, the person who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey was God Almighty in human form.

 

Now, some of us might be thinking why is this so important. If the person on the donkey was just an ordinary man, what would be the point of believing in Him? What good could come to us by believing in an ordinary man? If Jesus was just another human being, how could we be saved? So, it is extremely important for us to understand who Jesus was. Our salvation is at stake here.

 

The historic church has always taught the two natures of Jesus Christ. He was both God and man in the fullest sense. And the church has taught this because of our text. In other words, the Bible teaches the two natures of Jesus. For this reason, the church has taught the two-nature truth about Jesus. We continue to teach this truth to this day. I certainly do in confirmation class. I want to make sure our children understand who Jesus was and why it’s important to believe in Him, namely, for salvation.

 

The apostle Peter said there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. He referred to Jesus. He understood quite well that Jesus was both God and man and why that was important for the salvation of all people.

 

Over the years, various false teachings about Jesus have arisen. Some have taught that Jesus only appeared to be a human being while He was here on earth. The people who saw Him were looking at only an illusion. In other words, Jesus never becomes a human being. Others have taught that Jesus was only a man. He might have been a gifted and wise man but that’s as far as it goes.

 

It’s interesting that Jesus asked His disciples who they and others thought He was. The disciples answered that the people thought He was a prophet or great teacher but that they didn’t believe He was God. The disciples, however, believed that Jesus was God, and confessed this to Jesus. Jesus was pleased with their answer. They had spoken correctly about who He really was.

 

   We agree with the apostles. We believe and teach that Jesus was both God and man. He was God in the fullest sense. He had to be to accomplish our salvation.

 

Why is it we make a big deal of Jesus’ divinity and humanity, that He was both God and man? Well, if Jesus had only been God and not a man, He wouldn’t have been able to die on the cross for our sins. If we remember, the penalty for sin is death. God laid all our sins on Jesus, who died for us, who paid the penalty for us. He became the sacrificial lamb. Now, had Jesus just been God, He wouldn’t have been nailed to the cross. So, Jesus had to become a human being to die for our sins.

 

If Jesus had just been a man, He wouldn’t have risen from the dead. I don’t know of any ordinary man who can raise himself from the dead. Sure, the prophets of the Old Testament raised people from the dead, but they were never able to raise themselves from the dead. Jesus, however, was different. Since He was God, He was able to raise Himself from the dead.

 

This is why Jesus was both God and man—and had to be. He wouldn’t have died and rose from the dead had He not been. And if this hadn’t happened, we, of course, wouldn’t be saved. This explains why we make it a point to emphasize the two natures of Jesus Christ. We see this clearly in our confessional statements, particularly in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.

 

This is what rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Jesus, both true God and true man, rode into Jerusalem. He did so in peace. He didn’t do so with the intention to judge the world. He came to make peace between us and God.

 

Now, maybe to some people this all sounds silly. This talk of peace doesn’t make any sense. How can there be a problem between us and something we can’t even see?  If someone doesn’t believe in the existence of God, then yes, this talk of peace doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem, however. Just because a person doesn’t believe a problem exists doesn’t mean the problem doesn’t exist. Just because a person doesn’t believe the moon is round doesn’t mean that the moon isn’t round. There was a problem between God and us—and Jesus came to fix it. He came to make peace between us.

 

This is the significance of the donkey. The donkey was an animal that symbolized peace. When kings and armies went to war, they didn’t ride donkeys into battle. They rode horses, instead. Their aim was war, not peace. If Jesus had no intention of making peace between us and God, He wouldn’t have entered Jerusalem on a donkey. He would have come on a horse.

 

If we read the Book of Revelation, we see that horses are mentioned quite a bit. There isn’t any mention of donkeys. That’s because Revelation emphasizes God’s judgment at the end of time. God’s mission at the end of time will not be a mission of peace. His mission of peace took place when He came into our world the first time. When He comes a second time, however, it won’t be in peace. He will reveal His power and glory for all to see. This is why horses are mentioned in Revelation.

 

In our text, there is no mention of horses. Instead, we read that Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, to make peace between us and God.

 

What is this peace between us and God all about? How could there not have been peace between us? To be plain and clear, sin is the cause of animosity between us and God. It first started in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve sinned against God, causing the relationship to go south. God even drove them away from His presence in the Garden; He kicked them out. So, this explains the lack of peace between God and the first two people.

 

Our sin put a rift between us and God. It prevented any kind of peace between us from developing. But God took the first step to make it right between us and Him. When God drove out Adam and Eve from the Garden, He promised them that He would send a Savior who would die for their sins. That promise was fulfilled in Jesus, who rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He knew what awaited Him but went through with it anyway.

 

Thanks to Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are at peace with God. We have been allowed into paradise, into His presence once again.

 

I hope we realize how big of a deal this is for us. We wouldn’t be allowed into God’s kingdom if Jesus hadn’t ridden into Jerusalem to die for us, to forgive us our sins.

 

May we praise God for the peace that exists between us, all because of the sacrifice of Jesus, who was both God and man.