Palm Sunday 2017
The stones will cry out
Little Johnny was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother.
His father came home from church holding a palm branch.
The little boy was curious and asked, “Dad, Why do you have that palm branch”
“You see son, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved Palm Branches to honor him, and so we got Palm Branches today.”
Ah man --- Just my luck ---the little boy said
“The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up”
This is Palm Sunday and as we prepare for Good Friday and Easter Sunday, I would like this morning to look at this day in history from just a different perspective.
Today I want to focus on Praise
And more importantly
On
The object of our praise
Our Lord and savior
Jesus Christ
And
I want to look at the reason for our hope
Please open your bibles to
Luke 19:30-42
“Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” “So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on
32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”
34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.
36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.
38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD!
Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”[a]
39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”
40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
The Easter season is a time calling for praise and rejoicing and hope.
All nature sings and shouts and waves its praise to the Creator in the boldest, brightest colors it can find.
And we who are born again believers have a special reason to rejoice at Easter.
For while Christmas heralds the birth of the Messiah, our Savior, and fires the opening shot in the battle with evil, It has begun the Bible proclaims
Easter is the victory celebration- It is finished Jesus says from the cross
It is finished
The work of redemption
The path to salvation
Jesus sacrificed to complete the plan
He died
So we could live
When I look at the scripture we just read
It makes me ask why there are not more amen’s and hallelujahs in world
Why is there not more praise in the hearts of the people?
Why do we save our praise for Sunday, Wednesday?
Why do we save it for Easter and Christmas?
Jesus says---The very rocks will cry out if ----we don’t
So why are we often silent?
Pause
Let’s look at the background for today’s lesson
Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem.
Riding to the completion of his purpose here on earth
In Just a few days
His work will be finished
He will soon be crucified
His disciples pleaded with him
Not to return to the city
But
Jesus
Knew he must go
It was love that guided him
It was love for us that drove him
Along the way he stops at Bethany and gathers up a donkey
Verses 29-35
9 As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”
34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.
He has been here before
Many times
And the miracles
The healings
The teaching he has done here and in many places throughout the Holy lands
Had prompted many to believe that He is going to ride into Jerusalem as the long-awaited Messiah.
And now they see him
Seated on a donkey
And
They are excited
The long awaited conqueror is coming
The fulfillment of prophesy is here
Remember they knew scripture
They understood what was happening- or thought they did
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice, O people of Zion![a]
Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious,[b]
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt.
And so the excited followers shouted hosannas
They cut down palm branches and waved them and laid them in the road to make a royal path for the King,
They threw down their coats,
And they raised their voices.
Let’s think about and look at this praise and the significance it has for us, today
Verses 36-38
As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.
38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD!
Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”
Praise is common in the church today
Praise was common in the temple in Jesus’ time
But this praise was different
This praise was not inside the walls of a church
It was not inside the courts of the temple
This praise
These shouts
These Hosannas and Halalula and Amen’s
Were outside the temple
Outside the church
Out on the road
Out in the city
These praises were not bound by walls or establishments or rituals
This is real praise
Bona Fide Praise
Not just Sunday and Wednesday praise
They are coming down the side of the Mount of Olives, coming into town by one of the busiest roads in the whole area
On one of the busiest days of the years
Thousands are there
And
It is a secular setting. Not church
It is the kind of time and place where we would not expect to hear the praise of God;
It is coloring outside the lines of praise
Getting out side of the box
Stepping out in faith to new areas of ministry.
And they are singing praises
I realize the lack of praise in the world when I go when I go outside the boundaries of the church
When I go to the fire station,
When I go to the feed store
When I go to the sale barn
When I go to t Wal-Mart
And see men and women that I know are Christians are walking around gloomy and distracted- self focused instead of Christ focused
It can be disheartening
But
then when I least expect it
Listen
When I need it most
Someone joyfully praises God for what He has done for them.
It is then that I realize that most of us
Myself included
Do not praise God as often we should, either within or outside the walls of the church.
But we need to know
Because his blessings extend outside the walls of the church
So should our praises
Verse 37b
“all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along”
Notice with me the words
All of his followers
All of them were shouting praises
ALL of his followers began to shout and sing
God’s word says we are to make a joyful noise to the Lord
We are to praise him
Praise him for what he has done for us, what he is going to do for us
Praise him because we are not going to get what we deserve
Listen
God doesn't require us all to be beautiful singers
Eloquent prayers
Dynamic preachers or teachers
But
He does expect us all to make a joyful noise in praise.
Singing praises by telling people what he has done for you
Singing praises
Shouting praises
Living praises
I sometimes have to wonder how
A believer
Someone who has been forgiven
Redeemed
Saved
Could sit quietly and not shout his praises/ not tell someone
I want you to note here
This was unanimous praise from the multitude of believers
This was what set them apart from the crowd. From the unbelieving world
There were many people in town on this day
But Jesus’ followers were different
They were shouting and praising- shouldn’t we?
While this praise was unanimous among the disciples, that is, every believer was shouting and praising God
— It was selective praise in that only the followers of Jesus were flinging their coats and shouting praise.
Verse 39
“But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”
The Pharisees in the crowd and some others were not joining in.
They were red faced and ticked off and trying to find something to criticize.
Listen
God doesn't expect the Pharisees, the unbelievers, to break out with praise
He wants them to
He wishes they would
But
He does expect His children to do so
And on this day
They did.
Verse 38
“Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD!
Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”
Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!
And it was glorious
And it was joyful praise
Excited praise\ praise of gratitude
Praise of anticipation
It was not sad music
It was not funeral music
THEY REJOICED.
It was joyous praise.
One of the key emotions in our biblical models of praise is joy.
JOY
We should be joyful
Filled with Joy
And thankful for the hope it brings
Joy should flow from our bones and our souls.
And be heard in our praise
I believe had they had it or known what it was there would have been a little twang in the praise on that day
---- Pause---
Many folks just fall into praise mode when they come in the church door
I know this, because that is what I used to do
Hugs and handshakes all around,
Amen’s all over the place,
Sing the songs,
Pray the prayers,
Listen to the message
And then put on their outside of church face,
Their back to the world/everyday face when they leave
And go back to business as usual. Life as usual
Some will say, "I have nothing to be joyful about.”
And from a human standpoint, I know that there are those here this morning whose hearts are like lead;
Those who wonder if others have ever been through what they are facing.
Those whose lives are filled with
Tension
Fear
Anger
Defeat
But as Christians
Our praise should not be dependent on our circumstances
But should be focused on the saving grace we have experienced in Christ.
Through his very blood, though his love.
Focused on the hope we have received.
Praise of thanks
And praise of expectations of things to come
Let our praise, like that of the Jesus’ followers that day on the road to Jersalem, have a roots deeper than the spur of the moment,
Deeper than Sunday and maybe Wednesday.
Deeper than a second thought,
Our praise needs to be part of our very being or daily lives.
Praise with a purpose
Let us say
“Even though my life is caving in around me
And it feels as if the wolves are trying to eat me,
Even though and I come to the Church exhausted from slogging my way through the mud holes of the world, through the mire of temptation and sin, my heart is still lifted up;
Because in spite of it all
I am Loved
And
Our voices should be lifted up, by the very thought of God's eternal love for us in Christ.
"By the Hope we have in Jesus.
And so we should still be praising God, not for our troubles, but in spite our troubles.
After all, if these believers in our text had of been pulled away from the shouting multitudes and questioned
They would have surely said that on the surface of their lives there was little reason to praise God,
Little reason to and throw their only jackets on the ground for this donkey to walk on!
There was still the Roman occupation,
Many were still living in poverty
There were still taxes
And Pharisees
And sickness and tragedies that fall upon us all.
But still they praised for what they had seen and heard and experienced
They praised him anyway1
Verse 38-39
“Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD!
Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”[c]
39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”
They praised anyway
Praise was necessary
It was required
Notice the unbelievers in the crowd
The spiritually blind
Said quit all of this mess
Jesus they said
Tell them to be quiet
Tell them to stop it
Maybe they were worried about their power
Maybe they were worried about the Romans seeing this as an uprising among the Jews
Maybe they were afraid of the rebellion that this could cause
But in any case
They said
Jesus
Make them shut up
And Jesus showed them that Praise was necessary
Verse 40
“He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
There must be praise!!!
Jesus says
The words of Jesus tell us tells us a few things about the world.
The first is that there is a closer connection between the natural world and redemption than we may think.
Paul said the entire creation groans for redemption, and from the beginning we see how creation was twisted and thorns infested the ground because of sin.
The Psalmist writes in Psalm 19:1-2
The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
2 Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
The earth itself praises God
Even when we fail to do so
I don’t see how anyone could look at new birth
New life
The birth of a child or a calf or colt and deny the existence of God
Or stand and look at the Grand Canyon or the Rocky Mountains and think all this just happened
All of God’s creation Sing praises
Jesus tells the religious leaders and us in the process that praise is not elective, not a choice; it is a necessity. There must be praise.
I have no doubt those stones would have shouted if the people had held their tongues!
And that leads to the question for us
Being made in the likeness of God:
What should our response be to the mercy of God?
Those of us who have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness
Delivered from the storms and wrecks in our lives
Renewed
Restored
And redeemed
I can answer that question
We need to do as
Nehemiah commands In Nehemiah 9:5
Then the leaders of the Levites——called out to the people: “Stand up and praise the LORD your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!” Then they prayed:
“May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise!
And
As the Psalmist tells us 1n Psalm 100
1 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Worship the LORD with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God!
He made us, and we are his.[a]
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
If God's people will not praise Him
The stones will!
The trees will.
The earth will!!!!
Why
Because
Praise is a necessity
Pause
But this praise was also praise in the midst of sorrow
Praise in the midst of Jesus’.
Verse 41
“But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep.
Why did he weep?
Jesus wept because they even in their praise they did not get it,
They did not fully understand.
The people had made Him in their minds, a conquering hero,
A night in shinning armor.
The one who works miracles and then refused to let them crown Him as king a year ago
They see him boldly ride into Jerusalem in the fulfillment of prophecy —
And
They think he is about to charge in and destroy the Romans
Set the people free from oppression
Make them rulers of the world alongside the Messiah
This man will be King! And we will be his subjects and rule with him. They think
So why is He crying?
Jesus may have been the only person weeping in Jerusalem that day.
He wept because he knew that soon,
They would understand,
Verses 42-44
2 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. 43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.
He came into the city this day not to deliver them from the world
Not from the problems of this world
But
To deliver them from sin, and the penalty of their sins
Jesus rode in on a colt to give them hope and an eternal future
As Jesus looked down at the city
He wept
He wept while the crowds cheered
He wept while they shouted praises
I am told that the sight of Jerusalem from the top of the Mount of Olives is an awesome sight even in its ruins today;
I hope one day to see it.
But in its glory — the sun gleaming on the gold of the temple, the jeweled foundation, no expense spared—
And Still Jesus weeps.
Jesus weeps as He sees the multitudes that are blind
Spiritually blind to the fact that the savior is here.
Here is God in their midst
God in the flesh, and still they will reject Him
Later they will crucify Him and they will think they have done God a favor!
And He weeps.
He weeps over lost souls
Defeated lives
And people in the bondage of sin with no hope.
We as believers need to be leading the praise
Leading the lost to the object of our praise
Close from the heart.
Pray
