A Triumphant Victory
For over 400 years, the people of Israel waited and wondered as they endured persecution and painful abuse at the hands of harsh, foreign rulers. For weeks and months and decades, they clung to words from prophets like Isaiah and Zechariah that foretold of a time when their enemies would be destroyed.
The Jewish people were waiting for a powerful man who would overthrow the Roman Empire and take his rightful place as king and conqueror. And then one day, a renowned Rabbi (who had just raised a man from the dead) came to the capital city of Jerusalem, riding on a donkey—an animal often associated with kingship and peace.
But Jesus wasn’t just a man—He was God and man. And this wasn’t just a triumphal entry into Jerusalem: it was a determined, faith-filled march toward the crucifixion that awaited Him.
He would become king: but not in the way the Jews were expecting. However, His followers knew there was something special about Him, shouting and singing...
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
Luke 19:38 NIV
In just a few short days, Jesus’ triumphal entry into the city would turn into a triumphant victory over the strongest enemies of all: death, the devil, and eternal separation from God. But this victory would cost Jesus His life, and His death would be cheered by some of the same crowd praising His arrival.
His sacrifice cost Him everything—but it gave us everything.
It’s because Jesus sacrificed Himself for us that we can now come unashamedly before Him.
So today, reflect on how Jesus’ faith-filled obedience resulted in your permanent reconciliation with God. Then, spend some time blessing and praising the King who came in the name of the Lord.
“Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear What man shall do unto me. Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied ...
Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia 8 AM Streaming Service
Pastor Joe Focht
Genesis 21:22
A Great Light
Have you ever known a deep darkness? Most of us have—at one point or another. But there's a great light that changes the way we see.
Peppered throughout the Old Testament are prophecies regarding future events. And recorded in the book of Isaiah is a glimpse into a future hope…
“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”
Isaiah 9:2 NLT
In the verse preceding this one, the text explains that sometime in the future, these “people who walk in darkness,” from "Galilee of the Gentiles," will be flooded with light. (The word "Gentiles" is a term for non-Jews, representing an eclectic mix of other nations.)
Israel was God’s chosen nation through which the Savior of the world would be born. But even Abraham, who’s considered the father of the Jewish people, was told by God that all families and nations of the earth would also be blessed through his descendants (see Genesis ...