Sermon:
April 16, 2000
Sunday Night Alive!

And after He had said these things, He was going on ahead, ascending to Jerusalem. And it came about that when He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, saying, "Go into the village opposite you, in which as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it, and bring it here. And if anyone asks you, `Why are you untying it?' thus shall you speak, `The Lord has need of it.'"

And those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?" And they said, "The Lord had need of it." And they brought it to Jesus, and they threw their garments on the colt, and put Jesus on it. And as he was going, they were spreading their garments in the road. And as He was now approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." And he answered and said, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!" And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it.

Luke 19:28-41

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; he is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey."

Zechariah 9:9

"Surely the stone will cry out from the wall, and the rafter will answer it from the framework."

Habakkuk 2:11

Let us pray: Take my lips and speak through them. Take our thoughts and think through them. Take our hearts and set them on fire with love for you. Unless you speak, nothing of significance will be spoken. Bring us your word, Lord Jesus. Amen.

OVERVIEW: The disciples were worshipping, shouting joyfully over what God had done.

The disciples had seen miracles.
The Messiah was fulfilling the prophecy.
Some were annoyed.
The stones were silent.
Jesus wept.

THESIS: They worshipped, in joy, for miracles, and fulfilled promises. They didn't know that their ultimate freedom would come through Christ's redemptive death on the cross.

What a scene! What worship! Jesus was heading into Jerusalem. He had gathered quite a crowd: people who had been healed; people whose lives had been changed by listening to this man, people who had seen one of Jesus' miracles, and people who were looking for freedom and someone to follow.

What a scene! What worship! Jesus riding on a donkey. Cloaks were being laid down. Palm branches were waving. The whole crowd of those disciples were shouting, worshipping. The word to describe it: joy. Joyful praising in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen.

What a scene! What worship! People calling out loudly the prophecies being fulfilled. "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" People were looking in hope to Jesus for freedom, for peace. The King was coming - the King was coming! The hope of all the people was to be free from oppression. Too long they had waited, subject to the Romans, the Greeks, the Assyrians, the Babylonians. Too long they had lived, subjugated to something else. Jesus - this miracle worker-teacher-preacher - seemed like he could be the one to free them! He was even fulfilling the centuries-old prophecies. Could it be?

What a scene! What worship! And yet, even in the midst of the triumph some doubt, some scorn. And Jesus weeps.

God gives us a reflection of what worship was all about in this account of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. The disciples' worship was for joy, for miracles witnessed, and for fulfilled prophecies.

With this as our guide, let us see what we can take for our lives today. How does this scene affect us?

Worship is basically reverent devotion and allegiance pledged to God, and the ways in which that is expressed. The English word "worship" comes from the Old English word "worth-ship," denoting the worthiness of the one receiving the special honor or devotion.

The first point Luke notes is the joy. The disciples who were "praising God joyfully" knew that they were worshipping God for all they had seen. Sometimes I don't think we make enough of joy. What a powerful three-letter word! If you ever want to make an impact on the world around you, make joy a part of your nature. The joy of the Lord from the Bible goes beyond mere happiness. It is holy and pure. The joy of the disciples rises above mere circumstances. It focuses on God.

The writer of the Psalms rejoices over God's character: his righteousness (Psalm 71:14-16), his salvation (Psalm 21:1; Psalm 71:23), creation (Psalm 148:5), God's word (Psalm 119:14, Psalm 162), and faithfulness (Psalm 33:1-6). One of the main results of God's Spirit in our lives is to be joyful. The second result, or fruit of the Spirit, is joy.

Joy is not like happiness. Happiness is based on external circumstances. Joy is based on an internal relationship. A relationship with God through Jesus Christ will outlast any situation or problem you may be facing. And that's worth celebrating. That's one reason for our worship. You and I can be joyful, even in the midst of sorrow and tragedy.

The second point Luke makes is that the disciples were worshipping because of "all the miracles they had witnessed." The main reason for our worship is not because we have to earn points with God. The reason we serve others, the reason we practice music, the reason we study the Bible, the reason we teach children is not to earn anything. We simply can't earn our way to heaven. The reason we do these things is simply out of gratitude. The main reason for worship is because of our thankfulness for what God has done for us.

We can only receive salvation as a free gift from God. New life is a miracle, even as life itself is truly a miracle. We have witnessed God in creation. We have witnessed God in our relationships with others. Sometimes we move at such a pace that the miracle of it all never catches up with us and we take it for granted.

Let us never take God and his mighty works for granted! Let us worship because we are witnesses to God's work in our lives and the lives around us. Try living an attitude of gratitude. It will transform your life!

The third point of the worship that day was in the hope of the fulfilled promises. If Jesus was the Messiah, he would be the one anointed by God and empowered to deliver His people and establish His kingdom. Most of the people at that time thought the Messiah would be the king of the Jews, a political leader who would defeat their enemies and bring in a golden era of peace and prosperity. As the Jews struggled against their political enemies, the Messiah came to be thought of as a military ruler.

We have come to realize that Jesus' role was as a spiritual deliverer, setting his people free from sin and death. The Greek word for messiah is "Christos." In other words, "Christ" is not Jesus' last name.

Jesus always avoided being called "Messiah" in public, because Jesus' kingdom was not political but spiritual. If he had gone by the title Messiah, people would have thought he was a political king. But Jesus understood that the Messiah, God's Anointed One, was to be the suffering servant - a crucified deliverer. His way of bringing in God's kingdom was not by physical force and violence, but through love, humility, and service.

Without his disciples understanding this, no wonder that five days later there was no worship. Five days later Jesus was crucified. Many of his disciples who didn't understand saw the cross as a sign of Jesus' weakness, powerlessness and failure. They rejected him. They didn't understand the cost of redemption and freedom that Christ would have to pay.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew the rejection that awaited. It's worth noting that Luke gives us a portent of this in Jesus' response to those Pharisees: "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones themselves will cry out!" Luke 19:40

Hear what happened when Jesus was dying on the cross:

"Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had died were raised." Matthew 27:50-52

• The people were quiet. Where are you, Lazarus? Where are you, Bartimaeus? Where are you, Zaccheus? Peter? Matthew?
• There was no worship. There was no scene. There was no joy.
• So the very stones themselves cried out in worship.

May the stones forever be silenced, as we worship God in joyful thanksgiving for his miracles and promises!

Perhaps you've never taken time to think about how you worship or why you worship. Let us take time now to commit ourselves again, knowing that our ultimate freedom came from Jesus' redemptive death on the cross.