The Humble King: Triumph Through the Cross

Mar 29, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The King We Create vs. The King Who Saves

We often welcome a version of Jesus that we have fashioned for ourselves, a king who aligns with our desires and demands little of us. This comfortable projection, however, holds no power to truly save or transform. The real Christ is the one who came not to meet our expectations, but to fulfill God's eternal purpose of salvation. He is the King who refuses to be remade, choosing instead to remain the Savior we desperately need. His victory is not found in the temporary but in the eternal. [24:18]

John 6:15
Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. (ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific area of your life where you find yourself preferring a comfortable version of Jesus over the challenging, sovereign Lord revealed in Scripture?

Day 2: A Different Kind of King and Kingdom

The triumph of Palm Sunday is found in the paradox of a humble king riding on a donkey. This was not a display of weakness but a declaration of a different kind of kingdom—one not of this world. Earthly kings conquer through force and wealth, but our King conquers through humility, service, and sacrifice. His mission was far greater than any political victory; it was to secure forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life for all who believe. [32:45]

John 18:36
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” (ESV)

Reflection: Where in your life are you tempted to seek an earthly solution or power when God is inviting you to trust in the humble, often hidden, power of His kingdom?

Day 3: The King Who Conquers Our True Enemies

The true enemy has never been a political force or a difficult circumstance. Our deepest adversaries are sin, death, and the devil—foes that cannot be defeated by any human effort. Palm Sunday announces that the triumphant King has arrived to battle these very enemies on our behalf. He carried the weight of our sin to the cross to disarm these powers and achieve a victory that is complete and everlasting. [36:13]

Hebrews 2:14-15
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (ESV)

Reflection: Which of these true enemies—sin, death, or the devil’s accusations—feels most powerful in your life today, and how does the cross speak a word of victory over it?

Day 4: The King Who Steadfastly Marches to the Cross

Jesus was not a victim of circumstances, swept along by the crowd’s enthusiasm or the leaders’ plots. He was the sovereign King, intentionally steering history toward the cross. With full knowledge of the betrayal, denial, and suffering ahead, He moved forward with purpose. He saw the cross not as a moment of defeat, but as the hour of His glory, for it was there that the ultimate victory would be won. [38:10]

Hebrews 12:2
Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (ESV)

Reflection: When you face difficult circumstances, does your perspective lean more toward feeling like a victim of chaos or trusting in the sovereign purpose of a King who is working for your good?

Day 5: The King Who Rode In For You, As You Are

The profound love of this triumphant King is that He knew exactly who He was riding in for. He knew every failure, every hidden sin, and every regret. He did not come for a cleaned-up, future version of you, but for you as you are right now. Knowing all of this, He did not turn back. He went to the cross to save you, to remove your guilt, and to reconcile you to God, offering you His peace and forgiveness. [40:17]

Romans 5:8
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (ESV)

Reflection: What part of your story feels too messy or too broken to bring before this King who knows you completely and loves you unconditionally?

Sermon Summary

Palm Sunday unfolds as a study in misplaced expectations and a revelation of true victory. A jubilant crowd lays cloaks and branches before a man on a donkey, shouting for the king they hope will overturn their present troubles. That public celebration exposes a created king—an idol shaped by popular desire for political power and immediate rescue. The genuine king arrives humble and intentional, refusing shortcuts that would make him palatable or politically useful. Instead, intentional humility leads straight to the cross, where victory takes the form of sacrifice rather than conquest.

The kingdom on display rejects earthly measures of strength. Horses and chariots signal worldly empires; a donkey announces a different reign—one that saves by bearing sin, death, and the devil’s weight rather than by wielding force. The son of man steers history deliberately toward suffering because that path secures eternal victory, not temporary relief. The cross becomes the decisive battleground where sin meets substitutionary sacrifice and where resurrection confirms a triumph that outlasts empires and crowds.

The victorious king goes after the real enemies—sin, death, and the powers that enslave the human heart—rather than overthrowing political opponents. He comes for the unclean, the failing, and the secretly broken, knowing betrayal, denial, and weakness will shadow the journey. That knowing does not deter him; it determines him. The humiliation of incarnation and crucifixion reveals a ruler who trades status for service and who wins by giving life.

The ultimate invitation asks which king receives obedience and trust: the one fashioned to flatter the self or the one who alone saves. Triumph here does not depend on applause but on a finished work that justifies, reconciles, and reigns. The branches may wither and the cheers fade, yet the king who rode into the city went to the cross, rose from the grave, and now reigns—his victory offered and applied to those who refuse counterfeit crowns and accept the costly grace that saves.

Key Takeaways

1. The crowd created their king The parade revealed not submission but projection: people celebrated a leader tailored to their hopes for power and comfort. Idol-making starts when worship serves personal agendas rather than God’s revealed character; that fabricated king promises immediate fixes but lacks the authority to transform the heart. A devotional posture confronts tendency to retrofit faith to cultural desires and invites honest repentance where preference has replaced truth. [22:27]
2. Christ refuses to be remade Jesus resists every shortcut that would avoid suffering and moral confrontation, even when that resistance would have secured popularity. True saving authority refuses domestication; it preserves holiness over convenience and obedience over acclaim. Spiritual growth requires submitting to a Savior who challenges and reshapes motives rather than a mirror that affirms them. [28:52]
3. King not of this world Arrival on a donkey signals a kingdom that rejects visible force as its modus operandi and opts for sacrificial service instead. Eternal rule answers deeper human needs—for forgiveness, reconciliation, and lasting freedom—rather than political control or cultural dominance. Worship shifts when allegiance moves from temporal victories to the reign that reorders souls. [31:17]
4. Triumph won through the cross Victory appears paradoxical: glory comes through shame, conquest through surrender. The cross addresses the root problems—sin, death, and the devil—by substituting divine righteousness for human failure, securing a durable redemption that no earthly triumph can provide. Faith matures when it embraces suffering’s role in God’s economy of salvation. [37:14]
5. The king arrives for you The procession targets not a polished ideal but the real, flawed person standing in need of mercy. Knowing every weakness and failure, the king still advances to secure forgiveness and relationship rather than merely model moral excellence. Devotional life rests in receiving that personal grace and responding with daily trust and obedience. [40:04]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[08:18] - Gospel reading: Triumphant entry
[22:27] - The crowd creates their king
[28:52] - Refuses to be remade; triumph through the cross
[31:17] - A kingdom not of this world
[40:04] - The king arrives for you; response and invitation

Bible Study Guide

Based on the sermon summary and transcript provided, here is a Bible study discussion guide.

Bible Reading
Matthew 21:1-11 (ESV)
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 and 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,
on a colt, the foal 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 is 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 crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Philippians 2:8 (ESV)
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Observation questions

According to Matthew 21, what specific actions did the crowd take when Jesus entered Jerusalem, and what were they shouting?
The sermon states that the crowd's actions were "not an act of submission. This is projection. They are not bowing before a king. They are trying to bend a king to themselves to their own will." [23:16] What details from the event support this idea?
How does the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9 describe the king who is coming, and how does Jesus' arrival fulfill this description?
What does the choice of a donkey, instead of a horse or chariot, communicate about the nature of Jesus' kingdom [32:16]?

Interpretation questions

Why would a king who is "righteous and having salvation" choose to enter his city in a way that is described as "humble"? What does this reveal about the kind of salvation he brings?
The crowd shouted "Hosanna," which means "save us." What kind of salvation do you think they were asking for, and how was it different from the salvation Jesus came to bring [33:52]?
The sermon says Jesus was "steering history towards the cross on purpose because this is where the victory is won." [38:52] How does viewing the cross as a deliberate victory change our understanding of what true strength and power look like?
If the real enemies are sin, death, and the devil [36:13], why can't these enemies be defeated by political power, military force, or any other earthly means?

Application questions

The tendency to create a version of Jesus that "never confronts you, that never calls you to change, that never challenges you" [25:24] is a common struggle. In what areas of your life are you most tempted to reshape Jesus to fit your comfort rather than allowing his truth to reshape you?
Jesus advances toward the cross knowing every failure and betrayal [38:35]. He knows exactly who you are, "It's you with that sin. That sin, that failure that makes you feel like everything you do and everything you are is bad." [41:04] How does knowing he came for that version of you, not a future perfect version, impact your ability to receive his grace today?
The kingdom of God operates on a different system—winning by losing, conquering by serving, finding life through death. What is one practical way you can embrace this "paradoxical" way of living in your family, workplace, or community this week?
It was noted that our hearts are "a factory of making kings and making idols in the hope, in the promise that they will bring what we need." [27:01] What is one 'king' or 'idol' (like money, security, a political outcome, or a relationship) that you have been trusting to provide what only Jesus can truly provide?
The victory Jesus won is described as "not something to admire. It's something that is given to you." [46:28] How can you move from simply admiring Jesus' work on the cross to actively living in the reality of its victory over sin, guilt, and fear in your daily life?
If true triumph is found in sacrificial love and service rather than in personal achievement or comfort, how might that change your prayers and what you ask God for?

Sermon Clips

59s

#TriumphantKing

“A king who does not conquer by taking life, but by giving life. A king who does not avoid suffering, but walks straight into it. A king who does not save himself because he's come to save you. See, palm branches fade, crowds disappear, voices grow quiet, but the king who rode into Jerusalem went to a cross, rose from the grave, and now reigns. And his victory is not something to admire. It's something that is given to you to you, and that's why it's triumphant.”

42s

#PerfectSacrifice

“And he goes not to inspire you, not to give you some holy example, some morality on how to live, that you have a religion that can make you feel good or make you feel bad because you can never live up to it. He goes there for you to save you. See, b, Jesus is the triumphant king because he goes to the cross for people who cannot save themselves. He is the perfect sacrifice. He is the one who's able to pay for our sins. He does what no other king could ever do.”

40s

#JesusWins

“That means your sins are forgiven. He has the power and authority to do so. He has the power and authority because he has defeated death, he has paid that price, and he is reigning overall in victory, that victory is yours. See, the bottom line of Palm Sunday is he won. He won. If you're filling out your brackets through scripture, Jesus wins the championship. See, the crowd thought they're welcoming a king and they were. They just didn't understand the kind of king he was.”

33s

#ReconciledInGrace

“He pays so we are forgiven of our sin. You you are removed from your guilt. To remove your guilt, to reconcile you to God, that you have his grace of forgiveness. You have this incredible love of a God who takes over your burdens, who cares for you, and a God of peace who reconciles you with him and builds a relationship that you know you stand in this in peace and confidence that he is for you, not against you.”

53s

#VictoryThroughSacrifice

“And these enemies cannot be defeated with swords or an election. Only a sacrifice. Only a savior can. It's why Jesus has to come. Palm Sunday is this announcement. Your true triumphant king is here to do what he came for. John twelve twenty three, Jesus says, the hour has come for the son of man to be glorified. Think about it. Jesus is looking into the future to this incredible horrific persecution death on the cross, and he's saying glory.”

50s

#IdolsCantSave

“Our heart is a factory of making kings and making idols in the hope, in the promise that they will bring what we need, what we want. They will bring that relief, that strength. And so we're constantly looking at the culture and and and looking towards money or power or something for our security or the government or stuff. And meanwhile, we know it's short relief at best, but yet we keep doing it. See, the reality is the king that is shaped by us has no power to save us.”

53s

#DontShapeJesus

“Let me press in just a little bit on that. What if just what if, the Jesus you are most comfortable with is not the real Jesus? What if the version of Jesus that you rarely question, the version that never confronts you, that never calls you to change, that never challenges you to give, that never prompts you to serve, that never disagrees with you, what if that Jesus is really the Jesus that you have shaped and not the one he is?”

44s

#WhoIsYourKing

“And so it raises the question this this morning at number five. Which king are you obeying? It's a this question matters. And which king are you trusting? The one you have shaped or the one it actually saves? Palm Sunday is triumphant not because the crowd understood it. They didn't. Not because the parade and crowd looked and powerful. It wasn't. It is triumphant because Jesus is not on his way to defeat. He's on his way to victory, a triumph through the cross.”

63s

#TriumphantEntry

“Let me ask you something. Why is it that we love parades? I think we we love parades because they they celebrate victory. Right? A team wins a championship, we throw a parade. A nation wins a war, you throw a parade. Parades were for people who've already conquered something, which makes Palm Sunday confusing. Because Jesus rise into Jerusalem, and within days, he's executed. That's not how victory works. That's not how triumph looks. And yet the church has always called this Sunday, this day, this this moment, this triumphant entry.”

39s

#KingdomBuiltOnTheCross

“And here's the reality. Everything that that is accomplished here, everything they build, everything they change will not last. It is temporary. But Jesus' kingdom does not rest on circumstances, it rests on the finished work of Jesus on the cross. See, number three, the king goes after the real enemy. If the real enemy was Rome, they were the real problem, then Rome would need to be overthrown. And Jesus would have done it. But Rome is not the real problem.”

37s

#HeKnowsAndGoes

“Jesus is not being swept away by the events like it's some great undertow, and he's losing all sorts of control and is just a victim. No. He knows. He knows what Judas is gonna do. He knows what Peter's gonna do. He knows what the Jewish leadership's gonna do. He knows what the guards are gonna do. He knows what pilots gonna do. He knows what the crowd's gonna do. And yet, he keeps on going.”

42s

#LambNotLion

“Hey. The crowd wanted a lion who could crush Rome. They wanted a lion to crush Rome. They wanted a political leader, a warrior to lead insurrection to destroy the Roman Empire, and to put them in charge as a great nation. But b, God sent the lamb who would carry the sin of the world on him. See, the people, they wanted something immediate victory. It's visible power, political change, freedom in the sense that they were in control.”

43s

#DonkeyNotChariot

“And he's a different king. Because kings those day were in horses and chariots. Horses were powerful. They were used Chariots were symbols of of wealth. And so it's on display. The other kings would come with horses and chariots saying, look. We're conquerors. We have all the power and the wealth. And Jesus comes not on a camel or Mercedes, but a donkey. This is not weakness. This is a decoration. This king is different.”

59s

#GraceGreaterThanSin

“God, we're reminded how quickly we can be swayed, how we move from one thing to the next, one king to the next, how we can shout your praises and then at the same time reject you. And yet you say to us to run unfaithful, I'll be faithful, and I will go to cross for you. And I will do what you cannot do to save you. So when you sway or you drift, you know there's grace. His grace is greater than any sin you could ever commit. His mercy is greater.”

47s

#OnlyOneTrueSavior

“See, if he's the one that's been shaped by you, that makes you comfortable, that doesn't challenge you, doesn't prompt you, doesn't doesn't convict you, doesn't disagree with you. The problem is not only do you have the wrong Jesus, is that really, b, that king you created cannot save you. It doesn't save us. And I know that deep in our hearts and souls, we know this. We know there's only one true savior and king, but yet our hearts are prone to keep drifting to new kings.”

41s

#KingdomNotOfThisWorld

“Jesus later says in John eighteen thirty six, my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were this world, my servants would have been fighting. I mean, there's there's there's gonna be force. There's there would be domination. Jesus could have called down all of heaven and angels, come down, and just destroy them and the people if he wanted to. But that's not his kingdom. He's not that king. And the crowd knew what they wanted, and they only wanted one thing.”

61s

#HeWentForYou

“that keeps you in bondage and stuck from moving forward. And it's the you that no one else knows but you. And knowing all that, he doesn't turn around. He kept going to the cross for you. See, a, Jesus did not ride into Jerusalem because people were faithful. He rode into Jerusalem because they weren't. They weren't faithful. Jesus rides in Jerusalem knowing exactly who he's going exactly who he's going for. Jesus knows there's gonna be betrayal.”

73s

#HeComesForTheRealYou

“Because Jesus knows exactly who you are. He knows exactly who he's riding in for. It's not the cleaned up version of you that you project. It's not your future self. It's not your improved you. It's you. It's you with that sin. That sin, that failure that makes you feel like everything you do and everything you are is bad. But you and if your regrets and pain from the past, you continue to carry and try to submerge and run away from”

43s

#StopProjectingWorship

“Look closer. Go past the activities and the noise and look at the hearts. And this is not an act of submission. This is projection. They are not bowing before a king. They are trying to bend a king to themselves to their own will. They're not receiving a king as he is. They are celebrating the king they want. John records in chapter six fifteen, he says, perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king. They”

50s

#EternalVictoryInChrist

“But Jesus, he brings forgiveness. He brings reconciliation. He brings eternal life. He brings a hope and a true freedom that is for our soul that's not based on any circumstance, but forever. So why is this triumphant? See, Jesus the king triumphed because he has come not to win temporary victory, but eternal victory. We live in such a world that says, what have you done for me lately? I mean, if you listen to how news stories are covered,”

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