The Upside-Down King: Humility Over Power

Mar 30, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When our expectations of God are not met.

We often approach God with a specific set of expectations, hoping He will act according to our plans and desires. When reality unfolds differently, it can lead to confusion, disappointment, or even a crisis of faith. This dissonance arises from our limited perspective, which cannot fully grasp the grand scope of His divine purpose. The challenge is to trust that His ways are higher and His plans are ultimately for our good and His glory, even when they diverge from our own. [43:10]

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. (Zechariah 9:9 ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific expectation you have been holding onto that God has not yet met in the way you hoped? How might this season of waiting or unexpected outcome be an invitation to trust in His character rather than your own plan?

Day 2: The humble King who came to serve, not to conquer.

True power in God's kingdom is displayed not through force and dominance, but through humility and service. The King of Kings chose to enter not on a symbol of war, but on a simple beast of burden, redefining what it means to lead. This act reveals a heart that prioritizes peace and the bearing of others' burdens over the pursuit of earthly thrones. His mission was one of sacrificial love, aiming to serve and to give His life for many. [53:31]

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.” (Matthew 21:2 ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life is God calling you to lay down a desire for control or recognition in order to take up the towel of service, following the example of our humble King?

Day 3: Our deepest problem is sin, not our circumstances.

Humanity often misdiagnoses its core issue, attributing its struggles to external forces like political systems or difficult situations. While these can be challenging, the root of our brokenness lies within the human heart. No change in circumstance can ultimately fix a problem that is spiritual in nature. The solution required was not a political revolution, but a spiritual transformation that only God could provide. [56:46]

And 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.” (John 18:36 ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been tempted to believe that a change in your external circumstances would finally bring you the peace and wholeness that can only be found through a transformed heart in Christ?

Day 4: Jesus came to fix our souls, not just our situations.

The purpose of Christ's mission was far greater than providing temporary relief from earthly troubles. He came to address the eternal condition of the human soul, offering salvation and reconciliation with God. This is a work that no human leader or policy could ever accomplish. His goal was to seek and to save that which was lost, restoring us to a right relationship with our Creator for eternity. [58:36]

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10 ESV)

Reflection: In the midst of praying for God to change your difficult situations, how can you also intentionally invite Him to do His deeper work of transforming your soul and drawing you closer to Himself?

Day 5: We are called to surrender our entire lives to Christ's kingship.

Following Jesus is not about fitting Him into our existing lives and plans, but about completely surrendering our lives to His lordship. He invites us to exchange our own flawed and limited plans for His perfect and eternal purposes. This surrender is an act of trust, believing that His ways are truly better than our own. It is an invitation to a life that is flipped upside down by the gospel, marked by His rule and reign. [01:04:18]

And he sat on it. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. (Matthew 21:7-8 ESV)

Reflection: What does sole custody of your life to Jesus look like in a practical, daily sense? Is there a specific area you have been withholding from His kingship that He is gently asking you to surrender today?

Sermon Summary

Jesus entered Jerusalem not as a conquering ruler but as the fulfillment of prophecy: humble, mounted on a donkey, and intent on service rather than political overthrow. A simple story about a boy’s disappointed Amazon purchase frames the larger point — expectations often demand spectacle, but God’s kingdom operates by different measures. The crowd’s shouts of “Hosanna” revealed a yearning for liberation from Rome, yet the deeper problem lay in the human heart, not an occupying empire. Scripture proof-texts—Matthew 21:1–11 and Zechariah 9:9—show a king who chooses a donkey to signal peace, humility, and the burden-bearing work of redemption.

The upside-down kingdom turns common assumptions inside out: victory comes through sacrifice, authority through servanthood, and life through willing loss. Jesus refuses the role of a political liberator because the root illness remains sin; laws and leaders cannot remake hearts. Instead, the mission aims at rescue of the lost (Luke 19:10) and the transformation that only resurrection power can effect. Good Friday’s darkness becomes good because it leads to resurrection hope; Easter proves that the same Spirit that raised Christ is offered to regenerate human hearts.

Christian discipleship demands more than applause on a parade day. Authentic following requires walking the journey through discomfort, cost, and possible rejection — the very path modeled in the final week of Jesus. Worship that treats Jesus as a tool for convenience misunderstands kingship; true submission means allowing life to be rearranged under sovereign rule. The narrative closes with an open call to trust Christ, public profession through baptism, and the assurance that the gospel seeks people in every state of brokenness, offering the transforming Spirit to those who yield.

Key Takeaways

1. Misplaced expectations distort divine rescue Expecting God to perform as a political fixer or life’s convenience-provider reduces redemption to consumer satisfaction. True rescue confronts the heart’s bondage, not merely rearranges external circumstances. When spectacle or immediate fix becomes the metric, the deeper work of repentance and renewal gets sidelined. [42:56]
2. Kingdom comes through humble service A donkey’s arrival signaled peace, not force; kingship in God’s economy equates power with servanthood. Humility does not equal weakness but reveals a different strategy for lasting change — bearing burdens and restoring souls. Following this model redefines leadership and calls for sacrificial, ordinary faithfulness. [50:44]
3. Politics cannot cure the heart Political change addresses structures; the gospel addresses sin. Laws and leaders shape behavior but cannot regenerate inner affections or repair conscience. Lasting transformation requires the Spirit’s work that no election or policy can produce. [56:46]
4. Follow through even when costly Palm-day praise can flip to rejection by Good Friday when expectations go unmet; authentic discipleship perseveres. True following accepts discomfort, public misunderstanding, and personal cost because the aim is conformity to Christ, not applause. Commitment to the way of the cross bears resurrection fruit beyond immediate reward. [62:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[41:40] - Online purchase expectation story
[42:56] - Boy’s disappointment illustrates expectation
[44:35] - Reading: Jesus approaches Jerusalem
[46:34] - Crowd’s hope for a political king
[50:44] - Donkey symbolism: humility and service
[54:24] - Kingdom not of this world
[56:46] - Heart problem versus political fixes
[62:32] - Call to follow through sacrifice
[66:09] - Invitation, profession, and baptisms

Bible Study 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.

Luke 19:10 (ESV)
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Observation questions

According to the prophecy in Zechariah, what kind of king was coming to Jerusalem and what was he riding?
What were the crowds shouting as Jesus entered Jerusalem and what did the word "Hosanna" mean? [46:08]
What was the difference between the type of animal a king would normally ride into a city for a conquest versus the one Jesus chose? [50:44]
What did the pastor say was the real problem Jesus came to solve, which is deeper than any political or external issue? [56:46]

Interpretation questions

Why did Jesus choose to ride a donkey into Jerusalem when a war horse would have sent a much more powerful and intimidating message to the Roman occupiers?
The crowd's celebration quickly turned to rejection when their expectations weren't met. [59:23] What does this reveal about the nature of faith based on getting what we want from God versus faith in who God actually is?
If political change cannot fix the human heart, what then is the ultimate purpose and goal of Jesus' mission on earth? [58:11]
How does the concept of an "upside-down kingdom" challenge our natural understanding of power, success, and leadership?

Application questions

In what specific area of your life are you currently expecting God to act as a "fixer" or "convenience-provider" rather than allowing Him to do the deeper work of heart transformation? [47:55]
The kingdom operates through humble service. What is one practical, ordinary way you can serve someone this week that reflects this "donkey" mentality of bearing a burden rather than seeking recognition?
When has your praise or commitment to following Christ faded because the journey became uncomfortable or costly? [01:02:32] What was that experience like and what helped you persevere (or what would have helped)?
The call is to allow Christ to have "sole custody" of our lives, not just to fit into our existing plans. [01:04:18] What is one part of your life—a relationship, a dream, a fear, a habit—that you are still trying to manage yourself and need to surrender to His kingship?
Who is one person in your life who is "lost" that you can begin praying for and looking for opportunities to show the love of Christ to, reflecting His mission to seek and save? [01:06:09]
The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in believers. [01:07:29] How should this reality change the way you face a current struggle, fear, or seemingly impossible situation?

Sermon Clips

44s

“Who's in charge of your life? And if we put our hope in politics, we're always going to be disappointed. If we put our hope in a man or a woman that's going to lead us, we will always be disappointed. And Jesus tells us exactly why he came in Luke nineteen ten. For the son of man came to to seek and save the lost. Jesus came to save and find the lost. Jesus didn't come to fix our situation. He come to fix our soul.”

from 00:57:51

#SeekAndSave

48s

“And we call Good Friday a Good Friday when it was the darkest day in history when Jesus was died. It's because on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. That's why we celebrate Easter and that's why we celebrate Good Friday. But here's what the Bible also tells us is that when you become a Christian, the same spirit that rose Jesus from the grave lives inside of us. That's awesome. That gives me goosebumps every time I read that, say that, hear that, that the same spirit that brought Jesus out of the grave lives inside of me. And he can do the same for you.”

from 01:06:50

#ResurrectionPower

42s

“The king they expected, they expected this king. Matthew twenty one nine that and the crowds that went before him and followed him were shouting hosanna, the son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord, Hosanna in the highest. The crowds had this huge expectations for this king. They knew what they wanted. The the crowds knew what they wanted to come through the gate. They knew what the king what they wanted. They wanted a political king to come rescue them. They wanted a powerful king. They wanted a king to come in and deliver them from Rome.”

from 00:46:52

#PoliticalKingWanted

46s

“We need a king to take over our life and I will tell you firsthand when when when we let Jesus be the king of our lives and to take over our lives, it makes our lives a whole lot better. His plans for us are way better than our plans. His ideas for us are way better than our ideas. So, they shouted, Hosanna But they didn't understand what they were asking. Because the king came to save them. But this king come to save them from their selves.”

from 01:04:49

#KingOfMyLife

42s

“This morning, maybe you walked into this church and and and you don't need it and maybe it's the first time you walked into a church and you don't know anything about god. You don't know anything about Jesus and and maybe none of this ever that that this doesn't make sense to you. Maybe you're just waking up from the the the message. And that's fine because there's I just want you to hear this. Jesus came to seek and save the lost and Jesus don't care how far you got lost He came to save you anyways.”

from 01:05:41

#JesusFindsYou

44s

“And this is where down kingdom and upside down people live in it. It it it doesn't make sense all the time. Jesus tells us some things that doesn't make sense like he'll say the poor will be rich and the rich will be poor. Or the first will be last and the last will be first or to live is to to die and to die is to live. It's like, woah, woah, woah, that, what are you doing here, Jesus? It doesn't make sense to us. Jesus flips his whole life upside down and when we become Christians, our life needs to get flipped upside down. It's not the same anymore.”

from 01:02:47

#UpsideDownKingdom

50s

“Jesus didn't come here to fit into your life. He came here so that your life can fit into his life and here's he can't he didn't just come in so that we could fit our lives into his life. He came in so he could take over our lives. So, he could have sole custody of our lives. So, he could have 100% of our lives. We don't need a better plan. We don't need a better motivational speaker. We don't need a better self help book. We need a king to take over our life and I will tell you”

from 01:04:07

#HisLifeNotYours

40s

“I bet you they were thinking he's just gonna come right in and and wipe everything out, and we're going to be liberated today. We're going to be saved, but the same crowd that is yelling, hosanna, hosanna, save us in a few days is going to be yelling, crucify him. Crucify him. Kill him. The same people Good Friday is just around the corner and this is where it kind of gets weird for us is this is why we live in an upside down kingdom and we're upside down people”

from 00:58:58

#HosannaToCrucify

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The Upside-Down King: Humility Over Power

Devotional

Day 1: When our expectations of God are not met.

Day 2: The humble King who came to serve, not to conquer.

Day 3: Our deepest problem is sin, not our circumstances.

Day 4: Jesus came to fix our souls, not just our situations.

Day 5: We are called to surrender our entire lives to Christ's kingship.

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

The Upside-Down King: Humility Over Power

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