Palm Sunday Dr. Mike Fogerson March 24, 2013
I 37 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, Luke 19:37 (NKJV)
A There would have been thousands (if not tens of thousands) on the road near the Mt. of Olives when Jesus approached Jerusalem.
1 The Scripture reveals that the multitude of disciples praised God for all they had seen. ( Not uncommon for multitudes to follow Him)
25 Great multitudes followed Him--from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. Matt 4:25 (NKJV)
a They had seen Him. . .
aa Turn water into wine, cleanse the 10 lepers, feed the 4k/5k, walking on water . . .
bb Heal Peter’s MIL, Raise widow’s son, Jairus’ daughter, Lazuras from the cold boney fingers of the grave.
cc Heal the deaf, dumb, blind, lame, mute; Woman with the issue of blood; demoniacs delievered.
dd 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. John 9:4 (NKJV)
b As they saw Jesus do these things they believed, blessed God for what He had done. (Became disciples/followers/believers)
2 Not everyone there that day was having the best day ever.
a I’m sure some were having a rotten day, bad nights sleep, financial problems, relationship troubles, Kid’s misbehaving, physically sick, spiritually dry.
aa If Jesus had been there I’m sure some of them would not have sang as loud, clapped as hard, danced as fast.
bb When Jesus was there, people got happy!
b Even though some were having a bad day there was still reason to sing.
aa Why? They were saved, forgiven, set free, healed.
bb Because His grace, mercies, faithfulness could never hid behind anything they may had been going through.
B Wouldn’t you have done anything to be on that road worshiping Jesus with the multitude of disciples? WE DO HAVE THE CHANCE/OPPORTUNITY TO WORSHIP HIM EVERY TIME WE ASSEMBLE!!!
1 We have seen Him do great things!
a We’ve been saved from hell, on our way to heaven, filled with the Holy Ghost, . . .
aa given His disciples authority in the name of Jesus over unclean spirits, to cast them out, to heal all manner of disease & all manner of sickness (Matt. 10.1)
1 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Matt 10:1 (NASB)
bb Adopted us as sons/daughters (Rom. 8.15)
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" Romans 8:15 (NASB)
b How can we not sing, stand, shout, clap, dance for all things He has done for us?
2 We’re don’t come to worship to see a hanging, we come for the blessing!
a If we came to worship knowing/believing that Jesus was here we’d sing louder, shout with Joy, dancing in the aisles
b All of have reason to bless His name regardless of what we are going through for what He’s brought us through.
C ILLUSTRATION
T.S.: The disciples were there to voice their blessing while the Pharisees offered up their voice of disapproval.
II The second voice we hear is
39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." Luke 19:39 (NKJV)
A Jesus had called the Pharisees “hypocrites” several times in His ministry
7 "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:Matt 15:7 (NASB)
13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people ; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Matt 23:13 (NASB)
56 "You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time? Luke 12:56 (NASB)
15 But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? Luke 13:15 (NASB)
1 Hypocrite means actor, poseur in the sense of the Pharisees were acting holy, but they weren’t really.
a They were pretty full of themselves. (How full were they? They thought the presence of God left with them when they left the church house.)
aa They were very concerned with the Law, legalists.
bb Although they were a very small minority they wanted to control the Temple, priests, Rabbis.
b They were always right in their own minds. (Pharisee means ‘loyal ones’, which means everybody else isn’t.)
2 When they saw the disciples worshiping Jesus blew a gasket/highspeed come apart/came from together/fired up . . . first case of road rage.
a They wouldn’t have cared/objected if the praise was for them . . .”Blessed are the Pharisees who come . . .”
aa They were jealous of Jesus for getting praised.
bb A proud heart never praises God, it hoards up praise for itself.
b They weren’t happy people nor could they bear other people being happy.
B If you are making the Pharisee’s angry, you are right on target.
1 When Jesus is being blessed, lifted up, worshiped . . . you are beating the devil.
a When truth, peace, love, Word are being spoken . . . the Devil will always rebuke.
b Anytime a Pastor/Lay person stands on the Word, eternal truths . . .He/She is rebuked from the enemy. (BTW, Pharisees were not counted among the crowd as disciples.)
aa Today, preachers/churches embrace homosexual lifestyles/gay marriage they are not rebuked . . . they are embraced, celebrated, called cool.
bb Green Street United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina says it won’t perform any marriages between opposite-sex couples until same-sex couples can legally marry in the church as well.
*C Peterson2 days ago
Wow, a Christian church that's making an effort to be... Christian. That's not something you hear about very often!
*Rob Bell, Founder of Mars Hills Bible Church, Michagan, one of the fastest growing churches in America came out for gay marriage this week. I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it’s a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think the church needs—I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are.
2 The church nor her members need to be embraced by the culture, by society, praised as cool!
a We must preach Christ crucified, Hell as Hot, Heaven as Home, the Bible as True regardless of the rebuke, how unpopular.
b We cannot change the message for the message changes us!
c We need some of that ol’time religion, ol’rugged cross singing.
d Let me talk to the Pharisees & Would-be Pharisees: Just because you don’t have music in your hearts, don’t wish to stop the music of those who have it!
T.S.: Jesus did rebuke just not as the Pharisees wanted Him to.
III The last voice we hear is in silence,
40 But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out." Luke 19:40 (NKJV)
A What would these stones of said if they could have spoken?
1 Image all the things these stones had witnessed.
a How God had made them with a word . . .
aa Saw Lecifer fall from heaven like lightening.
bb Seen God put Adam/Eve in the Garden,
cc Covered with water for over a month,
dd Abraham offering Isaac on Mt. Moriah,
ee David dancing before the Ark,
ff Solomon’s Temple . . . Babylonian’s destruction
9 "Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house To put his nest on high, To be delivered from the hand of calamity!10 "You have devised a shameful thing for your house By cutting off many peoples; So you are sinning against yourself.11 "Surely the stone will cry out from the wall, And the rafter will answer it from the framework . Hab 2:9-11 (NASB)
gg Zerrubal, Nehemiah, Ezra rebuilding the Temple (I came from one of those stones as it was quarried.)
b Oh, I know how worthy of worship this God Man is!
(Rock of Ages . . .)
2 If the Pharisees had seen, knew what these rocks knew they’d be singing too! (Instead they were dumber than rocks & just as cold.)
B If you know Him, you can’t remain silent!
1 I believe if ol’slewfoot himself could know how good, awesome it was to be in Jesus’ presence as a friend/brother he might begin to love Him too.
a I believe we are worst than devils if we who have tasted of the Lord, shared in His salvation do not praise His name!
b I won’t let a rock give my God worship that I should be giving Him!
2 I’ve been saved, redeemed, set free, kids saved, wife saved, washed in the blood, I’m not all that I should be but I’m not what I used to be . . . a I’m going sing, shout, jump, clap, hoop, holler, get happy in the
Spirit because I have accepted the rock that the builders rejected because He accepted me!!!!
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