The Covenant to Hold on to on Palm Sunday (Zechariah 9:9–12) 4/13/2025
The Covenant to Hold on to on Palm Sunday (Zechariah 9:9–12) 4/13/2025
This week is Passion Week, when we remember the suffering and death of Christ for us. The first day of Passion Week (Sunday) is called Palm Sunday, because it commemorates Christ entering Jerusalem riding on a young donkey while the disciples and people laid their clothes on the ground and waved palm branches in joy.
Why did He do this? It wasn’t simply to teach us to live humbly. There are three covenant of blessing that God gives. These blessings were promised through the prophet Zechariah hundreds of years before Jesus came, and were ultimately fulfilled when He arrived.
When was this covenant given? It was during Israel’s darkest time when they had sinned, were taken into captivity, and were in suffering and despair. God was saying don’t live bound to that despair. Hold on to this covenant and seek what God truly desires.
- The covenant of salvation through Christ who comes to save our lives (Vs.9).
God desires for all people to be saved. That is His heart, His love, and His wish (John 3:16, 1 Timothy 2:4).
This is the blessing we should be most grateful and joyful for. To enjoy this deeply, we must firmly hold onto three truths:
1) God is righteous.
In other words, God is holy and just. Therefore, he must judge the sins of the world and of human lives.
① This is why all people, starting from Adam and Eve’s fall, are under sin, death, and judgment (Romans 5:12). No one can escape God’s judgment. The only difference is whether we are more or less evil.
② God gave the Law in the Bible to reveal human sinfulness (Rom 3:20). It is because we do not admit how evil a life can be. Nothing can be hidden from God (Luke 12:2).
③ If you’ve been wronged, know that the righteous Judge will bring justice (Psalm 7:11, Proverbs 20:22). But when God judges with His righteousness, no one can stand before Him.
2) God gives salvation. This is God’s love. The suffering of the cross is where God’s righteousness and love both appeared.
① Jesus, who had no sin, suffered judgment and death according to God’s standard of justice. We weren’t just forgiven or made God’s children and people of blessings. The Son of God bore the curse we deserved (redemption), and we were freed (Romans 8:1–2).
② This was unconditional love. Absolute love revealed through Christ (Romans 5:8), and absolute
grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Admit your sinfulness, humbly come before God, and hold onto Christ (Isaiah 43:25). Have you fallen again? Truly repent before God, hold onto grace again, don’t give up, and rise again.
3) For that, He humbled Himself. This is God’s way of saving us.
① Passion Week shows us how He humbled Himself to give us salvation. The glorious God took on human flesh and came down to earth. This was the beginning of His humility (Philippians 2:7). He endured all shame and pain that humans face and obeyed to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). He rode a donkey to show this. The people who grasped the covenant cried out “Hosanna!” (“Save us!”).
② Through that shame and pain, He ended original sin, generational curses, and eternal curse of hell (John 19:30). He also ended our spiritual problems, heartache, pain, and even physical suffering and disease (Isaiah 53:5).
- Through us who have received this salvation, there is something that God desires to do. This is the second covenant to hold onto (Vs.10)
1) God will break the war chariots and bows and open an age of peace.
① This was the second thing Christ did (Isaiah 9:6). Replace division, conflict, and war with peace. He became the peace offering. First, peace with God, then opened a way to peace among people (Ephesians 2:14).
② He also abolished the curse of the law that condemned sin, making peace for everyone in Him (Ephesians 2:15). If we can’t enjoy this peace, we will live constantly arguing and fighting, in the family, workplace, and church.
2) What does God want to do through us who have this peace? (Vs.10)
① To spread this peace to all nations (evangelism and missions).
Our secret to saving the 237 nations and the 5,000 people groups lies here. It is bringing life and reconciliation through the gospel.
② This is our task until the Lord returns. On that day, the reign of the Prince of Peace will extend from sea to sea and to the ends of the earth. That place is the new heaven and new earth without tears and pain, where we will reign with Him (Revelation 21:4, 22:5).
- There is a third covenant to hold onto. The covenant of the true summit that heals and revives the world. Many of today’s “summits” are full of selfish ambition and greed, bringing more suffering to the world.
1) Christ became the model of the true summit. He didn’t ride a warhorse (a symbol of power and war) but a donkey (a symbol of service and sacrifice) (Matthew 20:28). The higher your position or responsibility, the more you need to train in servant leadership. Only by meditating on God’s Word, gaining strength through prayer, and focusing to enjoy the blessing of the throne, can we truly serve others.
2) The King of kings rode on a weak, young donkey.
① This means Christ with all authority in heaven and earth dwells in our weak lives (identity of the believer). From the moment of salvation, it’s not our power but His authority and power that dwell in us (1 Peter 2:9). Go into the harsh world as you hold onto this blessing
② If we enjoy this, we can overcome anything and save anyone (true summit). Without this, even in high positions, we’ll be crushed by stress and become powerless to do anything.
Conclusion- Difficulties and suffering may continue, but what is God’s final conclusion in the covenant? Through of the blood covenant we hold onto, all prisoners will be set free, and we will recover double what was lost (Vs.11). Are you trapped in a problem? Even if you’re trapped, embrace hope and return to Him (Vs.12). Hold on to these three covenants this Palm Sunday and may this Passion Week be the beginning of true answers in your life.
4.13.25 The Covenant to Hold on to on Palm Sunday