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WHO
IS THIS KING OF GLORY?
.
King
Jesus stands in stark contrast with all earthly kings, for He is the eternal
King. He is the King whose coronation was foretold in advance by the prophets. Christ
is perfectly righteous and forever victorious, yet He is lowly — humbling
Himself to the point of death on a cross. His weapon is not mass destruction,
but the mass restoration of lives. On Palm Sunday, King Jesus rode into
Jerusalem not to conquer the city like an earthly king, but to conquer your
heart and mine. He entered the city not as a man of the sword but as a man of
sorrow, not as a man of hatred but as the God of love - is Christ the King of
your life?
Michael
Youssef, Ph.D.
"They took palm branches and went out to meet
him, shouting, 'Hosanna!' 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'
'Blessed is the king of Israel!'"
- (John 12:13).
Historically, the Sunday before Easter is celebrated
as Palm Sunday, a day for the church to reflect on and celebrate the kingship
of Jesus.
Palm Sunday was a unique moment in Jesus' lifetime — the
first time He allowed His followers to crown Him King (see John
12:12-19).
Through this historic event, we see the glory of Jesus
that sets Him apart from every prophet and king who ever lived.
He is the King whose coronation was foretold in
advance by the prophets.
In fact,
hundreds of years before Jesus entered Jerusalem, Zechariah prophesied, "Rejoice
greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey" (Zechariah
9:9).
The difference between King Jesus and every other
earthly king can be found in this one verse.
Christ is perfectly righteous and forever victorious,
yet He is lowly — humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross.
His weapon is not mass destruction, but the mass
restoration of lives.
On Palm Sunday, King Jesus rode into Jerusalem not to
conquer the city like an earthly king, but to conquer your heart and mine.
He entered the city not as a man of the sword but as a
man of sorrow, not as a man of hatred but as the God of love.
Earthly kings may lord their authority over their
subjects, but King Jesus compels us by His love and invites us into His
Kingdom.
On that first Palm Sunday, the masses cried out, "Hosanna!"
which means "Save now."
In doing so,
they were proclaiming, "The king who will reign forever, whose
sacrifice will redeem us, whose strength will carry us, whose might will defeat
Satan — He is here."
Jesus purposely rode into Jerusalem on a donkey in
order to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah, and the crowd recognized His
kingship.
The celebration of Christ's kingship on Palm Sunday
begs the question: Is Christ the King of your life?
Prayer: Jesus,
You are the rightful, righteous, eternal King. Help me by Your Spirit to live a
life of submission to You. Thank You for Your love and sacrifice. All glory and
praise belong to You. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
DR. MICHAEL YOUSSEF
Even before he was born, it was evident that God had a
vision for Michael Amerhom Youssef. Against doctors’ recommendations to
terminate the at-risk pregnancy, Michael’s parents chose life after God
intervened, sending the family pastor to reassure them that this child would be
“born to serve the Lord.” His mother gave birth and lived to see him surrender
his life to the Lord in 1964 at age 16.
Dr. Michael Youssef was born in Egypt and lived in Lebanon and Australia before coming to the United States and fulfilling a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. With degrees in theology and social anthropology, God has gifted Dr. Youssef with a bold voice to bring Biblical clarity to today’s issues and speak to a worldwide audience.
Dr. Michael Youssef was born in Egypt and lived in Lebanon and Australia before coming to the United States and fulfilling a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. With degrees in theology and social anthropology, God has gifted Dr. Youssef with a bold voice to bring Biblical clarity to today’s issues and speak to a worldwide audience.
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