Grace Filled Invitation, Hosanna In the Highest

Sermon March 29, 2026

Grace-Filled Invitation, Hosanna in the Highest

Reverend Fred Okello

Church, I want to start this message off with a question for you. Have you ever anticipated something happening a certain way, only for it to happen differently? You had it all figured out, how it would go down, how things would play out. However, when the time came, it did not turn out as you expected.

When something like that happens to you, you are faced with a choice. Do you adjust your expectations… or do you walk away from what you see?

Matthew 21: 1-11 tells us about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The city is packed. The crowd is buzzing. People are throwing down their cloaks, waving branches, and crying out praises. It sure looks like a king is about to enter that city.

However, here is the thing: The people welcoming this King did not fully understand who He was. Moreover, as Jesus enters Jerusalem, someone asks the question on everyone's mind: "Who is this?"

First, in this passage, we see that Jesus is sovereign over the entire situation. Leading up to entering the city, He sends word ahead of time to His disciples with detailed instructions: where to go, what to look for, and what to say.

Guess what? When they follow His instructions, it works exactly how He said it would. There was not a bunch of trying things to figure it out. Jesus was in control. He was not reacting to the situation. He was directing it. Even in the moments leading up to the cross, Jesus is still on His throne.

Second, we see what kind of King Jesus is. The Bible says this fulfills the prophecy out of the Book of Zechariah that the coming King would enter the city on a donkey.

In those days, kings rode horses when they went to war. However, a donkey was a picture of peace. By riding into town on a donkey, Jesus was making a statement without saying a word. He was going to be King, but not in the way people expected. He did not come to conquer His enemies. He came to save His enemies. He did not come wielding a sword of rage. He came riding a donkey of peace.

Third, we see the crowd's reaction. They are shouting, "Hosanna, which means 'Save us now', calling Him the 'Son of David'. They are praising Jesus. However, there is only so much they know.

See, they are praising Jesus in anticipation of what He can do for them. To save them from their political oppressors. To quickly change their current situation. But Jesus did not come to change politics. He came to change people.

When we ask the question: "Who is this?" The people reply, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth." Now that is not a wrong answer, but it is not the whole truth. Jesus is not just a prophet; He is God in the flesh. He is King.

If we think Jesus is less than who He really is, we will never understand how to follow Him truly. There are 3 things we need to learn from this story.

Number 1, we have to evaluate our expectations. People come to Jesus with all kinds of expectations:

• "He will make everything better soon."

• "He will rescue me from my troubles."

• "He will give me the things I want."

But what happens when life does not go that way? What happens when it does not match our expectations? That is when faith gets shaky.

We have to ask ourselves: Am I following Jesus for who He is… or just for what I want Him to be? Real faith says, "Even if I do not understand what He is doing, I will trust Him either way."

Number 2, we have to recognize the kind of King that Jesus is. Remember how Jesus came quietly, as a lamb. He is not a political savior who comes in and fixes everything right away. He works in our hearts. What does that mean?

• He will speak truth to us

• He will convict us when we are wrong

• He will call you to grow in your faith

Jesus Christ will allow hardships in our lives, not to punish us but to refine us. To make us more like Him.

Number 3, we need to chase after Jesus deeper than a shout of praise. The crowd praises Jesus, but many of them did not really follow Him. We could do that today, too. It is easy to…

• Throw around a bunch of church words

• Smile and nod at church on Sundays

• Get caught up in the moment

But what happens when Sunday comes, and you have to live for Jesus through the week? When life is hard? When sickness comes? Will we still follow Him?

Imagine you join a gym in January, excited to get in shape for the summer. You go every day, never missing a day. But as weeks turn into months, you do not see the results that you wanted. So you stop going to the gym. Why? Not because getting in shape was a bad goal. But because you did not get your shape as quickly as you expected.

That is how people sometimes live their faith. They love the idea of Jesus, but they do not fully commit to following Him.

We come back to the question: "Who is this?" Not what other people say about Him. Not what the cool thing to believe is. But let me ask you, who is Jesus to you?

Because your answer to that question will impact everything you do. It will dictate your decisions. It will shape your priorities. It will determine your life direction.

Suppose Jesus is just a means to an end, a way to get what you want in life, you will only turn to Him when you need something. However, if you know Jesus is King. Then you will give Him the ultimate throne… over your entire life.