Here Is Our King

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Here Is Our King</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id606.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Greatest Day in History"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id584.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Valuing and Honoring Human Life"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"Here is Our King," Matthew 21</B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, April 9, 2006 (Palm Sunday)</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.stanbaker.org/audio/Sermon-2006-04-09-Stan_Baker.mp3" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.stanbaker.org/audio/Sermon-20"><U><B>audio</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div>      Please read <A HREF="http://www.tniv.info/bible/passagesearch.php?passage_request=Matthew 21:1-17&tniv=yes" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.tniv.info/bible/passagesearch"><U>Matthew 21:1-17</U></A>.</div> <div>      This is the beginning of “Holy Week,” a week in which we celebrate the great acts of Jesus Christ, in dying for us and in rising from the dead. The week opens on Sunday with a triumphal processional.</div> <div>      Notice vs. 10, the question, “who is this?” With the popularity of Dan Brown's <I>The DaVinci Code</I>, and the upcoming movie, a few key questions are being raised, such as, was Jesus married to Mary Magdalene and did they have kids? Can we trust the New Testament account of Jesus? But the <I>key</I> question is, was he a mere human, only to be recast or reinterpreted as God centuries <I>after</I> his death?</div> <div>      While we today may have differences of opinion about who Jesus, this was no less true when Jesus himself was alive on earth, in Israel. Where to <I>you</I> stand with Jesus?</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. Jesus offered himself to Israel has a humble, unassuming (long-expected) king (vss. 1-7).</B></div> <div>      Israel had been expecting her Messiah, her king and deliverer and spiritual leader. With Jesus  request for the animals (vss. 2-3), it wasn't uncommon for a leader or well-known teacher to procure the use of someone else's animal, for a time, to be returned safely. Jesus still demonstrates his control over the situation. He is orchestrating the events as they unfold.</div> <div>      Yet he humbly offers himself as Israel's king – he does not force himself upon them. He knows that the pathway to really helping Israel and saving the world from sin and death was <I>through</I> the cross by Friday of that week. And this would not happen by accident or be a surprise. Jesus said in John 10:17-18, “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.”</div> <div>      Jesus offered himself to the people, as a gentle, unassuming king who was willing to die for them, even for the people nailing him to a cross. But what kind of response did he get, and what kind of response do you offer?</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. What kind of response did he get? (vss. 8-17).</B></div> <div>      There were several ways in which people responded to Jesus' claims to be God and to have authority. And it is still the same today.</div> <bR> <div> A. Vss. 8-9 – Some people recognized something special about Jesus. </div> <div>      These fell into two categories: 1) Jesus' believers and disciples. 2) people longing for political deliverance or for the words of the next great prophet of Israel. (Wilkins, p. 688).</div> <div>      The cry of “Hosanna” is a cry to the Lord to “Save us.” It is found Psalm 118:25 –  “Please LORD, <I>deliver</I>! Please LORD, grant us success! May the one who comes in the name of the LORD be blessed! We will pronounce blessings on you in the LORD's temple.”</div> <div>      Throwing garments in his pathway was a sign of submission (Wilkins, p. 687; it was kind of like the "red carpet treatment"). The “palms symbolized Jewish nationalism and victory” (Wilkins, p. 687). It would be like when Iraq was under the control and oppression of Saddam Hussein, and the people were excited about someone who would come and deliver them. Put yourself in their shoes. And that was the setting of Israel under the Romans.</div> <bR> <div> B. Vss. 10-11 – Others were merely curious – they were interested people who wanted to see what the fuss was about. But they probably held off making a commitment to Jesus. And in fact the crowds were fickle, as the end of this week would reveal. </div> <bR> <div> C. Vss. 12-17 – Others were outright opposed to Jesus and his claim of being God and having God's authority (and these were religious leaders!).</div> <div>      In vss. 12-16, Jesus cleared the temple. In Isaiah 56:7, God said, “My temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray." But the religious leaders took his temple and used it for purposes that hindered God's purpose (exhortation and exploitation motivated by their greed). All this religious activity, yet it did not honor God or fulfill his values and priorities.</div> <div>      In vss. 14-17, the religious leaders denied Jesus' authority, while the children recognized his authority and worshiped him because of it. Luke 19:39 says, “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" 40 "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."” Darrell Bock said that, in a way the Pharisees were “dumber than rocks” (in <I>Jesus According to Scripture</I>). The children and the rocks are smart enough to know that Jesus is deserving of our worship.</div> <bR> <div>      One king, four responses:</div> <div> 1) People who were opposed to Jesus, even if they were religious and believed in God.</div> <div> 2) People who were curious about the next big thing, then went on with their lives.</div> <div> 3) People who expected Jesus to be their political Savior, but not their personal Savior. They wanted help for their problems, but they did not want to follow him.</div> <div> 4) People who believed and worshiped.</div> <div>      What kind of response do you offer Jesus today and each day?</div> <bR> <div>      This day, Jesus humbly offered himself to Israel as her king and deliverer. The cried out “Hosanna, Lord save us.” By the end of the week Jesus will hear the cry “Crucify him” (27:22). They would mockingly put “King of the Jews” above his head as he hung on the cross. But, the day is coming  when He will be recognized as the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:11-16). This is the one we worship. This is the one we follow and submit to. He is the one who died for us and who humbly offers himself to us as our Savior and King.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2006, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>