The King Has Come: From Palm Branches to Kingdom Carriers

As we move toward Easter, we turn our hearts to the scene of Palm Sunday — the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. But this was far more than just a celebration. It was a declaration. The King had come — and His Kingdom was breaking in.

Picture it:
Crowds lining the streets.
Palm branches waving.
Cloaks thrown down.
Shouts rising up: "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"

But even in the middle of all the excitement, most of the crowd missed what was really happening.

They wanted a savior — but on their own terms. They were looking for a political warrior who would overthrow Roman rule. Instead, Jesus rode in humbly, on a donkey — not a warhorse. He came not to seize an earthly throne, but to call a people to Himself. Not to defeat Caesar, but to conquer the greater enemies of sin and death.

And when it became clear that Jesus wasn’t going to fit their expectations, the same crowd that shouted "Hosanna!" on Sunday would cry "Crucify Him!" by Friday.

Why?
Because they wanted a king who would change their circumstances — not one who would confront their hearts. They wanted the crown without the cross.

And if we're honest, we do the same thing.

We want Jesus to fix our problems, but we resist when He calls us to deeper surrender.
We cry out for freedom, but shrink back from refinement.
We celebrate His miracles, but bristle when He challenges our comfort zones.

Yet — Jesus came anyway.

Knowing the crowd would turn.
Knowing we would resist His rule.
He pressed forward — not for applause, but for the cross.

He doesn’t give up on broken people.
He lays down His life for them.

From Celebration to Transformation

The astounding truth of the gospel is that Jesus doesn't leave us where He finds us.
He doesn’t just forgive our sin and leave us to fend for ourselves.
He calls us into a new identity — into His family.

Galatians 4:7 declares, "You are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God."
This is not some distant future promise.
It’s your reality right now in Christ.

You are adopted.
You are chosen.
You are marked by His Spirit.

As 1 Peter 2:9 says, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession."

This identity changes everything.
You don’t have to strive for worth.
You don’t have to hustle for acceptance.
You already have it — fully and forever — in Christ.

From Palm Branches to Kingdom Carriers

But identity is never just about personal blessing — it always comes with purpose.

You weren’t set free to wave a palm branch for a moment.
You were set free to carry His Kingdom.

Jesus said in John 20:21, "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you."
We are sent.
We are called.
We are commissioned as Kingdom carriers.

2 Corinthians 5:20 says, "We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."

You aren’t called to spectate.
You are called to participate — to carry His presence, His message, and His love into a broken and desperate world.

But this calling doesn’t happen by striving harder.
It happens by surrendering deeper.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Following Jesus isn’t just about admiration — it’s about transformation.
It’s about abiding.
It’s about being shaped by the cross.

Paul captures it so powerfully in Philippians 3:10:
"That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death."

This is the journey we are called to:
Not just moments of inspiration.
But daily abiding.
Daily dying to ourselves.
Daily carrying His life into the world around us.

The Invitation Before Us

As we remember Palm Sunday and look toward Easter, the question before us is simple:

Will we just wave a branch, or will we carry the Kingdom?

Jesus is not looking for more crowds.
He’s calling carriers.
Men and women who will say yes to His rule, yes to His Spirit, and yes to His mission.

You are no longer a slave.
You are a son or daughter of the King.
You are not wandering without purpose.
You have been chosen.
You have been sent.

For some, maybe today is the day you move from admiring Jesus from a distance to fully surrendering to Him as Lord.
Maybe today is your first real "yes."

He has already done the work you could never do —
Taking your sin.
Paying your debt.
Offering you new life — not because you earned it, but because He loves you beyond measure.

Whether you’re taking your first step or recommitting your whole heart, hear this:

The King has come. His Kingdom is here.
And He is inviting you to carry it.

The crowd is loud.
But the Kingdom is calling.

Will you wave a branch...
Or will you carry the Kingdom?