Sermons

 
What Would You Lay Before Him?
Mark 11:1-10         

Palm Sunday

Good Morning, The title of my message is “What Would You Lay Before Him?” and the scripture I’ll begin with is found in the book of Mark Chapter 11 verses 1-10, which we’ll read in just a moment.
 
Once again, it’s a blessing to be able to share from God’s Word and I praise God for calling me and giving me opportunity to spread the Gospel, what a glorious honor. 

As you know, today on the church calendar is Palm Sunday and it is also Passover. Last week we received an awesome Passover message from Bishop Adams which hopefully drove you to search the scripture for the entire spiritual (and mental) understanding of Passover. 

Today we will be looking at Palm Sunday; So let’s begin by reading today’s scripture; follow along with me. Mark 11:1-10 (KJV)

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, what amazing grace, that You should send Your only begotten Son to come to earth as the heavenly Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, and also in the linage of King David, who will set up a kingdom of peace and prosperity on earth. Thank You that You loved the world so much that You chose to send Your Son to die on the Cross so that we might live. Thank You that Your plan of redemption does not exclude anyone, Jew or Gentile, and all who call on the name of the Lord in faith will be saved. Help us to live our lives in a way that honors Your name and thank You that all Your plans and purposes for the salvation of mankind, and the restoration of the world, are 'Yes' and 'Amen' in Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN.

I’ve always liked Palm Sunday. It signifies the beginning of Holy Week. And over the years I have tried to look at that historic entry into Jerusalem from every angle that I could think of. In previous years I’ve considered the people in the crowd (the skeptics, the faithful, and the antagonists); I’ve looked at the expectations of the people who cheered.

I’ve considered Jesus’ tears over Jerusalem. I’ve looked at it from the Centurion’s point of view.

From the irony or tragedy of the fact that less than a week following this grand celebration, some of these same people were yelling, "crucify Him, crucify Him" I’ve even looked at it from the donkey’s perspective.

Our Lord’s arrival in Jerusalem, just five days before His crucifixion, is one of the stories that is reported by all the Gospel writers.

Everybody remembers that day! It was a joyful and glorious day, a time of excitement, optimism, and renewed national pride for the Israelites.

What begins with a handful of disciples offering their praise to God turns into a citywide celebration. 

When the people saw Him riding into Jerusalem that day, they knew that something exciting was happening. They knew that Jesus was riding as the Messiah would, and they thought they knew what that meant. 

They thought it meant they would be free from the Romans; they thought it meant that Jesus was going to be their King. 

So, they got caught up in the excitement of the moment and celebrated, rejoiced at the picture which was forming in their mind’s eye, a picture of a king who would save them. A picture of a nation reborn, a people who would be free to be a mighty nation again. 

So they celebrated, they danced down the street, they shouted Hosannas!!  And if we think about it, we can appreciate why. After all, the people of Jerusalem had been waiting for something like this for a long time.

Five hundred years earlier, the prophet Zechariah had proclaimed that fact when he wrote, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah. 9:9)

You see, in times of war conquerors would ride in chariots or upon prancing stallions. But in times of peace, the king would ride a colt to symbolize that peace prevailed. So, for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem upon a colt is to declare that He is a King proclaiming peace.

 
This glory-starved nation had, in effect, been waiting for just this occasion; they had been waiting for David’s successor to come riding into town to assume His throne. 

It’s time for the city’s most anticipated parade; the people are more than ready to let the party begin.

They line the streets, cheering wildly and lifting their voices in song: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!”

Their hope was that Jesus would launch a revolution against the Romans and release the Holy City from pagan occupation.

Still, if the truth be told, all their loud hosannas couldn’t hide the fact that Jesus is not quite what they expected Him to be. 

Jesus arrived on this little colt of a donkey that almost left His feet dragging on the ground. Plus, there is no conqueror’s weapon attached to His saddle. In fact, He doesn’t even have a saddle, only somebody’s old overcoat.

As we watch Jesus entering Jerusalem with friends and followers carrying palms, not swords, we see again into the heart of God. 

Even Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem wept for His beloved city; He knew the dreams of this day would turn into the reality of pain, suffering and death.


The reality of the situation was Jesus was not the kind of hero they hoped He would be. Jesus was not the kind of king to lead an earthly army. Jesus would not deliver the Jews from the Romans. 

Their dreams of who Jesus was turned into the reality of Jesus as a heavenly Messiah which they could not understand. 

There is a significant little detail that is often overlooked in this story. “Jesus sent two of His disciples, saying to them, ‘Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.’”

Jesus rode into the city on that colt that had never been ridden. An unbroken colt!  Anyone who has ever attempted riding an unbroken colt knows what usually happens, especially amid shouting crowds!

Can we sense an underlying smile here as the writer of Mark’s Gospel contemplates this little miracle?

It may be less spectacular than stilling a storm or raising the dead but it’s no less significant in its depiction of Jesus’ gentle power!

Jesus does not need a warrior’s stallion. The untamed colt of a donkey makes the point just as well. The power that enters our hearts does not force or violate, it calms, transforms, and guides us!

Jesus doesn’t fit the messianic profile of the people of Jerusalem at all, and sure enough, within a week the grand marshal of this parade will be met with the words of “Crucify Him!” instead of “Hosanna…Bless Him!” 

So, what are we to make of this parade?
What are we to make of this Palm Sunday?

We’ll look at how this entry into Jerusalem should not only remind us of what it was, it should also point us to what we are willing to lay before Him. There are Palm branches, coats, cheers, and Jesus is in the center of it all.

There is a legend about an ancient village in Spain. The villagers learned that the king would pay a visit. In a thousand years, a king had never come to that village. Excitement grew. "We must throw a big celebration!" The villagers all agreed. But it was a poor village, and there weren’t many resources. 

Someone came up with a classic idea. Since many of the villagers made their own wines, the idea was for everyone in the village to bring a large cup of their choice wine to the town square. They said, “We’ll pour it into a large vat and offer it to the king for his pleasure! When the king draws wine to drink, it will be the very best he’s ever tasted!”

The King arrived, was escorted to the square, given a silver cup and was told to draw some wine, which represented the best the villagers had.

He placed the cup under the spigot, turned the handle, and then drank the wine, but it was nothing more than water. You see, every villager reasoned, "I’ll withhold my best wine and substitute water. What with so many cups of wine in the vat, the king will never know the difference!" The problem was, everyone thought the same thing, and the king was greatly dishonored. 

I wonder if the church in America might do such a thing?

Palm Sunday is all about a day when the King of Kings was greatly honored. Because people gave the very best they had – a gift of praise.

This day marks the beginning of the end for Jesus’ earthly life, the first day in what was to be His last week. This week would take Him to a cross on Friday morning, into a tomb Friday evening, then ultimately result in Him being raised to life again on the following Sunday morning.

This morning, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a mission. It was Passover, the greatest of all the Jewish feasts and people from all over Israel made their way to Jerusalem to celebrate this holiday commemorating God’s mighty work of freeing the Jews from Egyptian bondage during the days of Moses.

Jesus, already having traveled and taught and performed miracles over the past three years was making what would turn out to be His last trip to this Holy City. He knew what would happen there, how He would be treated, how He would die. But He had a mission.

Just a few days earlier He had made the statement, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Now, the word Hosanna literally means “Oh Save!” or “Save we Pray”. Originally, probably a cry for help but it became an utterance of praise.

Hosanna, Hosanna or “Save, Save!” the crowd shouted. I wonder if Jesus thought that’s exactly what I’m here to do. How right you are, but how little you understand.

Without knowing the details, the crowd was clearly articulating what Jesus came to do. As Jesus rode into town, the people let loose with joyous, uninhibited praise.

A crowd of people, probably from His home region of Galilee, gathered and shouted Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

The text says the people were laying things down before Jesus. Their cloaks, and branches from the fields.  By spreading their coats on the road, as well as freshly cut branches, it was their version of rolling out the red carpet.

What a scene that must have been. The Pharisees told Jesus He ought to rebuke His disciples. Jesus said, “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!” (Luke 19:40)

God desires and deserves praise. And if people won’t do it, His Creation will continue to cry out. Majestic mountains, mighty oceans, the expansive stars of the universe, sun, moon, trees, hills and yes even rocks scream forth the praises of the Creator.

That would be the One, who happened to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey to face a cruel death at the hands of sinful men.

Close your eyes and imagine something. I want you to imagine your street – the street on which you live. Picture in your mind what that street looks like – where the trees are – where the other houses are – where people park their cars – the general amount of traffic that is typically on your street. Imagine yourself standing outside next to your street.

Now I want you to imagine that coming down your street you spot a crowd of people. And in the middle of that crowd of people is a man riding on a donkey. You recognize the man as Jesus. People are laying things down. Some of your neighbors are rushing to the curb to lay things down also. Jesus approaches where you are standing, riding closer, as He passes by what do you lay down?

The key question of our message is: If Jesus came riding down your street, what would you lay down before Him?

Our mission is ultimately TO PRAISE Him; it can be done in a variety of ways. (Spoken words, printed words, words that are sung. Praise can be painted, signed with hands, or even performed through dance – just about any mode of communication can be avenue for praise)

It’s what we’ve been called to do: (1 Peter 2:9) “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Part of our mission, if we’re followers of Jesus is to praise. Praise means to pay Jesus a compliment, give Him a good word. Say good things about Him to Him and what He’s done in us and through us and for us. Tell Him thank you for something He’s done, make a joyful noise.

So again we need to ask ourselves this key question: If Jesus came riding down our street, what would we lay down before Him?

To answer that, we should consider if there is anything standing in the way of our ability to praise, what kinds of things inhibit our praise?

Maybe Pride? We may not want to admit it, but perhaps pride stands in the way of our praise. I wonder if sometimes we might overlook pride as it relates to praise by referring to it as temperament.

We might say, “Well, by nature, I’m just not a very expressive person. My temperament doesn’t lend itself to the kind of praise that took place on that first Palm Sunday. I’m too reserved.”

Let me tell you about someone who was not reserved. Roberto Benigni. He’s the Italian guy who won the "Oscar" for best actor a few years ago for the film "Life Is Beautiful."

I didn’t watch those Academy Awards, but I read that upon hearing his name called, Roberto Benigni leaped to his feet ... threw his arms in the air ... skipped across the tops of the seats ... bounded to the stage ... squeezed Sophia Loren so tightly that he nearly crushed her... and then rambled (in half-English, half-Italian) about "this being a moment of colossal joy," and wanting to "kiss everybody and die in this ocean of generosity."

This being the same man who once bear-hugged the Pope, kissing him over and over, while calling him "Babbo" ... or "Daddy." Leading the Pope to say: "You are very Italian."

Roberto Benigni would have fit right in on Palm Sunday. He’d have no problem throwing down his coat and waving a palm branch.

There was another guy who came up to get his Oscar that same year ... And, in expressing his gratitude, this very reserved gentlemen whose name I do not know, began by saying: "Inside, I feel like Roberto Benigni." And the audience chuckled.

Now that’s temperament. The second man was just as grateful, but he expressed it in a different way. Praise to Jesus can be offered in many different ways, just as sincerely by someone who raises their hands and dances and by someone who bows their head in reverent respect.

So how might we sometimes confuse temperament with pride? When we don’t engage praise when we have the opportunity, and shrug it off as temperament, or just being reserved, we’re kidding ourselves.

I noticed in my lifetime that many of the men in church wouldn’t sing. And then I noticed that their sons didn’t sing either. I’m sure many of those people would say, “Well, I’m not a very good singer. Or they, might say, it’s just my temperament – I’m more reserved.”

That may be, but if we don’t at least attempt to praise Jesus in church, the odds aren’t very likely that we’re doing it consistently somewhere else.

A song I heard on the radio says, “I throw my hands up in the air-Here’s my heart – ‘cause I don’t care what they say about me – I gotta praise!”

If Jesus came riding down your street, if it’s pride standing in the way of praise, would you be willing to lay it down?

How about Fear?  Perhaps fear at times stands in our way of praise.

The classic example I think of when someone had opportunity to put in a good word for Jesus, and was just too scared to do it, as Peter was. You know after Jesus had been arrested, Peter sort of lurked behind in the shadows to see how things would turn out. Someone said to him, “You were with that Nazarene, Jesus, weren’t you?”

What a perfect opportunity, for Peter say, “I sure was. And let me tell you about Him. I saw Him heal a deaf man, cause a blind man to see and make a cripple walk. One time I saw Him stand up in a boat during a storm and when He yelled at the wind the storm stopped. I saw Him walk on water. I’ve even seen Him bring people back to life – just this past week He did that again for a guy named Lazarus. Jesus is innocent. He’s the Son of God – yes, I follow Him and I proudly call Him my Lord.”

But of course, Peter didn’t say that. He said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Within a few moments he denied knowing Jesus two more times. He could have praised, but he was afraid.

Sometimes it is scary to praise Jesus. We don’t know what people might think of us if we really let loose with genuine Palm Sunday praise.

But if Jesus came riding down your street, and if it's fear that stands in your way of praise, would you be willing to lay it down?

What about Doubt?  It could be that doubt hinders your ability to praise Jesus.

Maybe some of you, when you are surrounded by people who are praising Jesus, you may think, “I know a lot of others are really into this. I’m just not sure if I should be applauding. I have some serious questions that need to get answered before I can praise.” It’s tough to praise when you have doubts.

I think about a novel I read years ago called “The Flight of Peter Fromm.” Peter Fromm was a young man with Midwestern roots wanting to be a minister and the high-minded idealism that he, as a Christian, could enroll at the University of Chicago Divinity School, face the challenges of liberal theology, which has lost faith in miracles, the inspiration of Scripture and the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, and make a difference for Jesus Christ.

How day after day Peter Fromm’s faith is confronted by intellectual arguments he’s never considered, and almost undetectably at first, instead of his faith changing the trends of the academic environment around him, the environment changes him.

At the end of the book, he stands before a church in Chicago on Easter Sunday to preach a sermon, no longer sure of what he believes. As he attempts to tell the congregation about the wonder of the resurrection of Jesus Christ – something he is no longer sure of himself – the inner battle between what he believes and what he is saying overcomes him.

He suffers a mental breakdown right there at the pulpit and has to be physically restrained by some people in the congregation. That’s an extreme case, but it just goes to show that doubts can really get in the way of praise – even sometimes for those who want to praise.

I know this is a tough one, but if Jesus came riding down your street, and if it’s doubt that’s standing in the way of your ability to praise, would you be willing to consider laying it down?

If you’re willing, I’m certain Jesus will help you with those doubts.

It could even be.. Possessions.. Sin.. Sadness/ Burdens/Worries standing in your way of praise.
Whatever it is, would you be willing to lay it down?

You are probably here today because you know that where Jesus has gone is better than where we are now, that what He is offering is better than what we have now and what He is asking is better than the agenda we have set for ourselves. That’s why Palm Sunday means something to us.

So praise! – sing, clap, raise your hands, close your eyes, bow your head – don’t confuse temperament with pride.

With a friend or co-worker – instead of saying – “Boy that really worked out well,” “Say, God sure took care of that one!”

At home – whisper a love song to Jesus as a time of prayer, sing it at the top of your lungs.

Begin each of your prayers with praise – Jesus taught us to say, “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name”

READ PSALM 150
1 Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

So praise Him!

And if things that have breath ever stop their praises, the rocks will still cry out! Because Jesus, the King, is worthy of being praised.

When I consider the story of that first Palm Sunday, I am struck by the thought that…

A coat might not be worth much after a donkey walks on it. In a crowd like that there was no guarantee that once you laid it down you were ever going to get it back.

For some reason, the text leads me to believe those people probably weren’t real interested in coats at that moment when Jesus rode by.

No, these people, many of them probably very poor, weren’t as concerned about coats as they were about praise.

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, " KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." -Revelation 19:11-16 (NASB)

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 (KJV)

Praise is the only real adequate response when Jesus visits!

For the people on Palm Sunday, praising Jesus might have cost them something. That sounds a little bit like a sacrifice.

The Bible speaks of a sacrifice of praise.

Fitting, isn’t it, for someone who saved our lives by sacrificing His own?

Amen