"Hosanna in My Heart"

“Hosanna in My Heart”

By Pastor Robert Hyatt Sunday March 29, 2026

The streets of Jerusalem were alive with anticipation. Word had spread that Jesus of Nazareth, the miracle worker, the teacher unlike any other, was coming into the city at Passover. Many had heard how He opened blind eyes, cleansed lepers, cast out demons, and even raised the dead. Hearts were stirred, hopes were rising, and Israel longed for deliverance. Yet the way their King chose to come would reveal not only who He is, but how He moves in the lives of His people in every generation, including ours today.Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them Matthew 21:1–6 In this scene we see a King who is never out of control. He knows where the donkey is. He knows what the owner will say. He knows how the heart of the owner will respond. He knows the prophetic word from Zechariah that must be fulfilled. He knows exactly how to enter Jerusalem so that all who have eyes to see will recognize the Messiah. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey” Zechariah 9:9 This is not only history; it is a mirror of how Jesus comes into our lives. He comes as King, but He also comes in humility. He comes with salvation, but He also comes in ways that confound human expectations. Israel wanted a political champion riding a war horse. God sent a humble Savior riding a borrowed donkey. Many today want a Savior who instantly removes every hardship and erases every struggle. Yet the Lord comes to us in ways that shape our character, deepen our faith, and reveal His glory in and through our weakness.When Jesus says, “The Lord has need of them,” He dignifies the ordinary. A common animal, a simple owner, unknown disciples obeying a quiet instruction—these become part of the unfolding plan of redemption. In the same way, the Lord has need of your voice, your obedience, your time, your gifts, your availability. He does not need us because He is lacking; He chooses us because He loves to work through His people. What the world may consider small or insignificant, He considers precious and useful in His hands.The narrative continues, “They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’ And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, ‘Who is this?’ So the multitudes said, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee” Matthew 21:7–11 The people recognized something about Him. They called Him the Son of David, a clear title for the promised Messiah. They quoted the scripture, “Save now.” The psalmist had prayed, “Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord” (Psalm 118:25–26, “Hosanna” means “Save now, we pray.” They were crying out for deliverance. They spread their garments on the road, a sign of submission to a king. They cut branches and waved them in triumph. There was joy, noise, excitement, and movement.Yet the kind of salvation they expected was not the kind of salvation Jesus came to bring. Many wanted freedom from Roman oppression. Jesus came to bring freedom from the power of sin, the bondage of fear, and the hopelessness of separation from God. He did not come simply to adjust their circumstances; He came to transform their hearts. In every generation, the Lord still rides toward the center of our lives with this same purpose. He comes as the rightful King, and He comes to save. He comes to answer the cry of “Hosanna” at a deeper level than we often understand.When we say, “Lord, fix this situation,” He may say, “I am coming to fix your heart.” When we cry, “Lord, remove this burden,” He may say, “I am coming to walk with you in the midst of this burden and turn it into a testimony.” This does not mean He is indifferent to our pain. It means His love is greater than our limited vision. He is not content to give us temporary relief while leaving us unchanged. He is committed to giving us true victory.Luke’s account adds another dimension that reveals the heart of our King. “Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’ And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, ‘Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.’ But He answered and said to them, ‘I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out” Luke 19:37–40 The disciples praised God “for all the mighty works they had seen.” They remembered the miracles. They remembered the healings. They remembered the deliverance. They remembered how He spoke words of life where others brought condemnation. Their praise was not empty emotion, but a response to the revelation of who Jesus is and what He had done. When opposition rose, when religious voices wanted to silence the praise, Jesus made a bold declaration. If His disciples kept silent, the stones would cry out. Creation itself recognizes its Creator.The world was made through Him. The sea knew His voice. The wind obeyed His command. The demons recognized His authority. How could praise be out of place when the King of glory entered His city? In the same way, praise is never out of place in the life of a believer. In a world filled with bad news, fear, anxiety, and confusion, the people of God have a reason to rejoice. Our King has come. Our King has gone to the cross. Our King has risen from the dead. Our King has poured out His Spirit. Our King has promised to return. We live in the day the Lord has made, and in this day we can rejoice and be glad, not because everything is easy, but because everything is under His authority.Yet the King who receives praise is also the King who weeps. “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes” Luke 19:41–42 While the crowd celebrated, Jesus saw deeper. He saw the unbelief, the hardness of heart, the rejection that would soon lead to His crucifixion and to Jerusalem’s destruction. He wept over a city that did not recognize the time of its visitation.These tears reveal His compassion. He is not indifferent to our condition. He is not distant from our struggles. He is not cold toward those who resist Him. He loves with a love that feels, a love that grieves, a love that reaches out again and again. Even today, He weeps over hearts, homes, churches, and nations that refuse His peace. But those same tears are part of the pathway to our hope, because this entry into Jerusalem is the beginning of the final week before the cross. Palm Sunday leads to the suffering of Friday, and the suffering of Friday leads to the triumph of the resurrection.The One who rode into Jerusalem in humility would soon hang outside Jerusalem in agony, not as a victim of circumstances, but as a willing sacrifice. Scripture declares, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” 1 Peter 3:18 He did not come merely to inspire us; He came to redeem us. He did not come simply to show us a better way to live; He came to give us new life. He did not come to be cheered for a moment; He came to be worshiped forever as Savior and Lord.The victory of this journey into Jerusalem is not measured by how loud the crowd shouted that day, but by what God accomplished through Christ in the days that followed. On the cross, every accusation against us was nailed to the tree. The handwriting of requirements that was against us was taken out of the way. Principalities and powers were disarmed. The enemy’s greatest weapon—death—was broken by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because He lives, those who trust in Him are no longer slaves to fear. Because He lives, the grave is no longer the final word. Because He lives, every believer can stand in this present day with confidence.The same Jesus who entered Jerusalem is Lord over this moment in history. He is not intimidated by the darkness of our age. He is not shaken by the unrest of nations. He is not surprised by the pressures facing the church. He declared, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” Matthew 16:18 The gates of hell are defensive structures. That means the church is not called to cower in fear, but to advance in faith. Palm Sunday, rightly understood, is a picture of the church’s posture in every generation. We are a people who recognize our King even when the world does not. We are a people who welcome His presence, even when others reject Him. We are a people who cry “Hosanna”—“Save now, Lord”—not as a desperate wish, but as a confident prayer rooted in the finished work of the cross. We are a people who lay down our garments, our pride, our self-sufficiency, and we allow Jesus to reign over every area of our lives.In Christ, you are not a defeated spectator watching the world fall apart. You are part of the redeemed, a living stone in the spiritual house God is building, a member of the body of Christ. You are seated with Christ in heavenly places. You have access to the throne of grace. You have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. You have promises that cannot be canceled by circumstances. This day is not random. This season is not an accident. You are alive in this generation by the plan of God.The same Lord who knew where the donkey was tied knows exactly where you are right now. He knows your address, your battles, your questions, your calling. He knows how to weave your life into His great story. When you put your faith in Jesus, this entry into Jerusalem becomes more than a memory. It becomes a reality in your heart. The King comes to you. He comes with salvation. He comes with peace. He comes with authority. He comes in humility so that no one is too low to receive Him and no one is too high to need Him.As you welcome Him afresh, your life becomes a road on which the King travels. Your praise becomes the sound of “Hosanna” in this generation. Your obedience becomes the garment laid at His feet. Your testimony becomes a palm branch lifted high, declaring that Jesus is Lord. This is the day the Lord has made. In Christ, you can rejoice and be glad in it. You may face challenges, but you do not face them alone. You may walk through battles, but you do so under the banner of a victorious King. You may see darkness around you, but the light of Christ shines within you.Let this Palm Sunday message remind you that the King has come, the cross has spoken, the tomb is empty, and the church of Jesus Christ is still in His hands. Lift up your heart. Let “Hosanna” rise again from your spirit. Jesus is still the King who comes, the Savior who saves, and the Lord who leads His people in triumph in this very day He has made for His church and His body.

God Bless You and Your Family, May the Peace of God Be With You

For prayer Request, or donations, contact Pastor Robert Hyatt at:

Vassar Church, P.O.Box 28, Mulhall, OK 73044, 

Email: vassarchurch@gmail.com  Website:  www.vassar-church.com