In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the power of God to overcome sin and conquer all obstacles. Jesus is portrayed as the victorious Lord who came to seek and save those who were lost in sin. The preacher highlights the transformative nature of Jesus' love and redemption, restoring humanity to those who have gone astray. The sermon also mentions Jesus' willingness to sacrifice his own life for his enemies, demonstrating his unconditional love. The preacher references biblical passages, such as Jesus weeping over Jerusalem and his triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, to support his message.

Let's read the text we read last night. Proverbs 40 from 6 to 9 and then verse 12. In sacrifice and offering, you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering, you have not required. Then I said, behold I have come, in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do your will, oh my God, your law is within my heart. For evils have encompassed me beyond number. My iniquities have overtaken me and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head. My heart fails me. We'll read thus far. Last night somebody came and showed me these verses in Afrikaans and I said it's a pity I didn't read it because it's put so beautifully. Often the translation is just number one. So in Zulu in verse 6 and then Afrikaans verse 7, let me read it for you. That's verse 6 in Afrikaans. In verse 7, it's beautifully put. In verse 6, it is literally put and is in the Hebrew like this, you have dug ears for me. Difficult to translate that but the people of that era understood it well. And in our languages we have rather put it, translated it as you have opened my ears to do what you have said. In verse 9, that's verse 8, put wonderfully. I delight to do your will and to do that which makes your heart glad. In English and Zulu it says In Zulu it says In English and Zulu it puts it that your law is in my heart but in the original it says in my intestines and the translators thought that would be confusing for people to read so they made it heart. In God having tried in many different ways to restrain you, to change you but you continue, you persist in your sins. And the Lord says here From that time on no slaughter, no sacrifice of any animals, goats, bulls, whatever was necessary because God himself And Jesus came, God came, he said I am coming and I have the deepest desire to do that. And joy and pleasure. He delighted to do that which was written of him. You who are named a Christian, does it bring delight to you to do that which delights the heart of the Father in heaven? Some people say it is difficult. But Jesus But Jesus said behold I come with great joy and delight, he said I am doing it knowing full well the hardship and the suffering. Completely one with the Father, that which I hate he said, that which you hate I hate. And indeed he came, Jesus Christ, he came from heaven, he said I come. Not forced. But willingly and joyfully laying down his life to forgive you from your sins and to release you from it. He said He said for evils have encompassed me and my iniquities have overtaken me, our iniquities which he said was his, he said Father I am willing. But this morning I would like to speak about his coming. He came born of Mary and though God he took upon himself our flesh to become the son of man. After 30 years he began to go with his ministry from village to village for 30 years. Going through Judea and in Jerusalem and revealing himself as the Messiah. Healing the sick, even raising the dead. And not just the physically dead for the spiritually dead those who are ridden by the devil are in a worse predicament than those who are physically. For three years revealing himself as the Saviour, the Redeemer. For three years revealing himself as the Son of God through signs and wonders which he performed. I have come to seek that which has gone astray and is lost. I have come to seek that which has gone astray and is lost. Jesus said and spoke significant words to Zacchaeus when he said I have come to seek and save that thing that is lost. Because when you go off into sin you lose your humanity even become just a thing. Sin perverts you and twists you worse than an animal. You become just a thing of filth. Jesus came to seek and to save that thing that was lost and he came to restore their humanity. Yes he came to raise Lazarus from the dead but more than that those who were dead and rotten because of their sins. And those who love light. And righteousness warmly welcomed him and loved him. But his enemies those who are the servants of Satan the devil hated him. With a vehement fierce temper. With a fury. But that didn't shock him or hold him back even when they sought to kill him and failed. For he said no one takes my life but I lay it down according to what I want to do. No one could rob him of his life. Even when Judas Iscariot handed him over to the high priest and the soldiers and they came for him. Even then when they said we seek Jesus he said I am he. They fell over backwards. They didn't arrest him. They couldn't make him captive he willingly handed himself over because he sought the way to release you from your captivity. Jesus said no one takes my life but I lay it down. I've got the power to take it and the power to lay it down. So the righteous were thrilled who loved him and honoured him. But his enemies hated him with an awful fury and with a bitter hatred seeking to kill him. In Nazareth for instance they sought to throw him down a cliff to capture him and throw him down but he just walked through the crowds and they couldn't capture him. For no one could take his life but he said I have come and he came to lay down his life to give his own body for you. Even when they sought to capture him they were unable to for no one had power over him. And he wasn't afraid and terrorised by their threats to throw him down a cliff. No he said my time has not yet come for me to lay down my life. In Jerusalem they took up stones seeking to stone him to death. But again he escaped and just went through the crowds for nobody had the power to throw a stone at him. No one was enabled yet to touch him. But when his time came after three years his time of fulfilment for him to come and lay down his life came and he lay down his life was captured and crucified. For he said I lay my life down for the sins of the world and just see the iniquities the terrible wickedness in the world. And he said make them mine. In German it means freely of his own free will. No one forced him he laid it down. He surrendered his own life to the enemies who hated him. However when he came for the last time into Jerusalem When he wept over Jerusalem as he looked upon it and he said oh how often I've tried to gather you like a hen gathers her chicks But you were not willing. Then he went into Jerusalem for the final time. And then it was fulfilled of him as it is written in Zechariah. Where it says behold your king comes to you. Humble in humility. Riding a donkey. Riding on the foal of a donkey. And people many people accompanied him. Throngs of people crowded around him accompanying him into Jerusalem. There was great celebration. As they accompanied the king of kings. Rejoicing. And dancing for joy for their king their prince of peace for their king. They shouted. Shouting hosannas and the little children shouting their hosannas which means save us son of David. Saying blessed as he comes in the name of the Lord. People even took their cloaks and laid it down on the ground. Out of respect and honor and uplifting him. Their prince of peace. Their conquering hero. They took palm. Palm leaves laid it down so that the donkey would walk upon it. And it was an unbroken Foal of a donkey. Never been ridden before but it was completely calm. You just try and ride a donkey which has never been ridden which is unbroken and you'll see what will happen as it bucks you off. But it softened. But it softened for Jesus. They might have been wild and uncontrollable before when Jesus comes into their lives. They are softened. They might have been wild and uncontrollable before when Jesus comes into their lives. And the donkey even acknowledged that it was given this honor of garments, cloaks, expensive material being laid down and it would walk upon it. Why? Because of him who sat upon it. Because of him who sat upon it. For it had garments and palm leaves underneath it. Why? They did it because of him who sat upon it and who was the one who rode it. Who's riding you? You young person. Who drives you out at night to do those terrible things? Who's driving you? You colt of a donkey. Lest you think that it's because of you and that you can now do your own thing and enjoy the cloaks and palm leaves under your hooves. But you just try that and your donkey character will be displayed. You might say, well, I don't need to continue here at Sizoban II. I can just do my own thing, start my own church. Well, you will see. Your donkey nature will come to the fore. Even Kwasi Zoban II itself, if it's not ridden by him, by the Lord, the donkey nature will come to the fore. You're a wild animal. Your wild animal-like nature will come to the fore. Do you hear, you donkey? If you go out and do your own thing without Jesus riding you, it will be evident that you're just a donkey. They took their cloaks and their palm fronds and just lay it down. Palm leaves having special significance to those Middle Eastern nations. Signifying victory, and they would wave their palm leaves to signify that there has been victory. They honored Jesus. As the conquering hero, only he has power to save you. He who is the redeemer. He who is the redeemer. And the children shouted out as well. I'm glad to see so many children here. You do find in some churches where they say, look, children can't really be in a service. Maybe you leave your unruly children at home, but it's these children that cried out Hosanna, the son of David. We are thrilled to see that, that these children rejoiced in such a way. But the enemies of the Lord were furious and hated him even more. And they demanded that these children should be shut up. Jesus said, if they are quietened, even the stones will cry out. And indeed, when Jesus died, there was an earthquake, the shattering of stones and rocks and boulders. And so this vast crowd accompanied Jesus, their King, the Prince of Peace, accompanying him into Jerusalem. Saying he is our Prince of Peace, our King of Victory. He is our King of Victory, our King of Victory. He is our King of Victory, our King of Victory. As we can rejoice over our Prince of Peace, he who, through cleansing us and saving us, comes into our lives and he gives us a peace that passeth understanding. Our Prince of Peace has come. And so it is the end of friction and arguments and fighting through him and noise. And yet, do you know that peace that passeth understanding when your burdens of sin have been lifted and taken away by him? The Prince of Peace. And also the King of Victory, he who gives us strength. His own strength which comes from above, from him overcoming power. To conquer sin no matter what type it may be. To conquer sin, to conquer the world. To conquer Satan. To conquer hell. Our victorious Lord, the King, the Lord of Victory. How glorious is that victory as we walk in a chair on earth and then when our last hour comes and we meet him who has given us the victory. With our apologies. I shed into heaven with fullness of victory through him that loved us and redeemed us and gave us a full salvation. That is why death is gain to the one who is alive spiritually. Is there anything greater than that? To close our eyes in death here and to open them immediately meeting him, our Prince of Peace, the one who gave us the victory, experiencing full redemption. He who makes us more than conquerors as we meet him with our palm leaves. No wonder death is gain to the believer. Imagine opening your eyes, seeing him. There hasn't been a cough released from a stall who has danced for joy like the one who meets the Lord. The whole of heaven is shaken. We who were once hopelessly lost, no possibility of salvation, but Jesus has said, Father, I come, I do it. He who provided that full salvation when we were absolutely lost, he who said, Father, I go to do that work. He who said, Father, I go to do that work. I will find those who have been so lost in such far off countries, lost in their prodigal state, in their pigsty's where nothing can wash them. Nothing but his blood can cleanse you. Think of the joy, the victory when you are with him for eternity. To see him, to love him, to honor and worship him. Praising him. Singing with the saints. Singing with the saints. Because of the cleansing blood which has redeemed you and taken you out of your lost state where you've lost even the image of God. So far have you gone into your animal like nature, but he who saves you. He who was slain. Died. Went down into hell. Rose again. Arising to fullness of victory. With the keys of death and hell. Where you say. Lord. Lord, use your keys. Use your keys on death and hell. How will it be when we are face to face with him? And so as he entered in, they shouted, Hosanna, blessed is the son of David. Well, I don't know. Time has gone on. Whether this matter. About Jesus. How has it reached your heart? How can you go home unchanged, but rather through Jesus that you are transformed through him? Who's the hero? Oh, my God. He who holds the keys of death and hell. He who liberates you from your hellish life that it surprises and amazes everybody. Your children are amazed. Your parents are amazed. Grandmothers are amazed. How is it possible? This person who was like a wild donkey. It's because you're ridden by the king of kings. He said. Lord, what can we say but to you? Father, we have sinned, we have strayed, we have gone, lost, but we come to you, the shepherd who has found us. We were lost, but now found. We who were dead, but now made alive. Through you, the Prince of Peace, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain in such a painful way, You were surrounded by so many sins. You said, Oh, my iniquities surround me, but Lord, they are not yours, but ours. You drank the cup of our filth and our sins that you drank it right down to the dregs that went into your intestines. You became sin for us. You were cursed for us. For you took our sins and made them yours. You said, Oh, my iniquities surround me, but Lord, they are not yours, but ours. You drank the cup of our filth and our sins that you drank it right down to the dregs that went into your intestines. You cried out, Oh, my iniquities surround me, but Lord, they are not yours. Because of our sins which you took upon yourself. You said, My sins surround me, so many they are. Though sinless, you became sin because of us, our sins. Amen.