Today we live in the age of tolerance, a season when the payment due for sin is foreborn. The sin debt is not being called in, not yet. This is a season, Paul says, to demonstrate the riches of God's kindness in his forbearance and patience with sinners. A season of kindness, a kindness that's on purpose, meant to lead you to repentance, as Paul says in Romans 2.4.

This day of tolerance will end, and when it does, the King of kings, our Savior Jesus Christ, will not be the king who rode into Jerusalem on the humble donkey of Matthew 21. Our king will return on the white war horse of Revelation 19. And this king, the once lowly, soon to return in majesty king, is the very king we need.

Today's sermon clip is about such a king in comparison to all other world rulers, even compared to our presidents. At the time of this sermon, George W. Bush was the president, having just completed the first of his eight-year run in the Oval Office. Here's Pastor John preaching on Matthew 21 in the spring of 2002, about six months after 9/11.

We have a president, right? Bush, President Bush. We don't have a king. So some of this is a little bit foreign to us, but there are kings in the world. And when I think king of kings, I think king over presidents, vice presidents, premiers, kings. He's the king over all the presidents.

Now when I think president, now what can George Bush do for me? Well, he's, I think, doing a pretty good job with security and protection. That's what he ought to be doing. He's the commander in chief. He's got to wield the sword, according to Romans 13, appropriately to protect a people.

And it seems like it's going well. I hope he's level-headed and reasonable and thinks through all the options in front of him carefully. But you know what? The best he could do for me is keep me safe and sick. I'd get sick and die in a safe America, right?

He can't make me see. He can't make me walk when I'm lame. I don't want that kind of king. I want a real king. I want a king of nature. I want not just king over politics and king over military might. I want a king over molecules and atoms.

That's the kind of king I want. Keith, I'm looking at you. My blind brother over here, he knows. Someday, Keith, someday, maybe in this life, but for sure, for sure, King Jesus is going to touch your eyes, brother. And you'll look on him. He'll be the first one you see.

That's the kind of king he is. He's a global universal king, king of the universe, king over eyes, king over legs. No president, no king on earth is that kind of king. We've got the children here in verse 9. Jesus declares his kingship by the way he responds to what the children and the crowds are doing, the way he responds.

This is a response issue. He doesn't take the initiative here, except that he said it all in motion. The priests and the scribes are really bent out of shape about this event. They are not happy what's going on here. And the children just, that's just too much. Verse 9, "Hosanna," this is the crowds, "Hosanna," verse 9, we'll get to the children in verse 15, "Hosanna," that means salvation, "to the son of David," that's the hope for king, "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Now the children, verse 15, "Hosanna, Hosanna to the son of David." And these priests say, verse 16, "You hear what these children are saying?" Now the implication there is, you better quickly defuse this enthusiasm about you, otherwise you're going to be guilty of blasphemy.

So what do you say? Now they could be asking the same question about, "What about those cloaks? Didn't you see them throwing cloaks in front of you?" Do you know what that means according to 2 Kings 9, verse 13? That means they're treating you as a king. You're going to get the Romans on us, and besides you're not, and so this is a big hoax, this is blasphemy.

Do you realize what everybody's hollering? And these little children, "Come on, settle this down." That's what they're saying to him. Now how does he respond to this? The way he responds to this is absolutely stunning. You couldn't have poured more oil on this fire than he pours. This is the last straw.

He answers it with one word, and then a Bible quote. Do you hear what they're saying? Greek. "Nai." "Nai" means "yes" in Greek. "Yes." Pause. And then do you know what he quotes? He quotes Psalm 8. "How majestic is thy name in all the earth. Out of the mouth of babes you have appointed praise." That's God.

That's God. Talking about God. They're not dumb. The last straw is, I'll quote some more Scripture for you, and I will take God's Word applied to children about the praise of children to God and apply it to me. And he's dead. He's dead. For you. So I'm finished, except to try to wrap it up.

There is coming a day when he will come again as king. Not on a donkey, but on a white war horse. And his hands will not be empty and outstretched. And the blood on his hands will not be his own blood. The garment dipped in blood will be the blood dragging through the blood of his enemies.

The second coming is the end of the day of salvation. The second coming is the end of the day of patience. The second coming is the end of the day of tolerance. And now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation. Don't risk meeting King Jesus on the white horse, having rejected him on the donkey.

And the way to switch sides is like this. So if you find yourself right now on the wrong side of the war, and king in your life is money or food or success or looks or family or job or health or fame, what rules you right now more than Jesus?

What governs your affections and your choices day by day, hour by hour more than Jesus governs them? He is your King. And so the way you come over is that you hear him saying, "I'm your King. I'm on a donkey. I'm on my way to die for you. I will shed my blood that your sins might be forgiven and your treason might be forgotten.

I hold out amnesty for you. Anyone who comes, I will receive and forgive and declare you righteous with my own righteousness that I'm working out here on this very Palm Sunday and fold you into my redeemed people and you will live forever with ever increasing joy." It's just faith.

By faith you forsake, by faith you receive him. Powerful, especially coming just six months after 9/11. We need a king over politics, a king over war, but we also need a king over molecules and atoms, a king who can make the lame walk and the blind see. Awesome. That was a Palm Sunday sermon preached on March 24, 2002 titled "Jesus Declares His Kingship." This clip was sent in by Ben Westerhoff.

So thank you, Ben, for that. If you have a clip, tell us what bits of Piper's sermons caught your attention. Email me, give me your name, hometown, the sermon title, the timestamp of where the clip happens in the audio, and tell me how it impacted you. Put the word "clip" in the subject line of an email and send it to me at askpastorjohn@desiringgod.org.

That's an email address, askpastorjohn@desiringgod.org. Next time we talk about complementarity in the home. It's a really sharp question for every couple to think about. I'm your host Tony Rehnke. We are rejoined in studio by Pastor John when we return on Friday. We'll see you then.