Sermon Series: Getting to Know Jesus 

Our Mission: To Praise! 

Mark 11:1-10 

PSBC 3/24/02

In a nutshell: If there is anything in the way of you praising Jesus, lay it at His feet. If you have breath, then you should praise the Lord.

I. Introduction

A. Legend of Spain

There is a legend about an ancient village in Spain. The villagers learned that the king would be paying them a visit. This was the first time in a thousand years that the king paid such a visit. Excitement grew. The villagers agreed that they had to throw a big celebration. But, they were poor. That didn't have many resources.

But someone came up with a classic idea. Since many of the villagers made their own wines, it was suggested that everyone in the village bring a large cup of their finest wine to the town square. There they would pour it into a large vat and offer it to the king for his pleasure!

The day before the king's arrival, hundreds of people lined up to give their gift for the honored guest. They climbed a small stairway, and poured their wine into the vat through a small opening at the top. Finally, the vat was full! When the King arrived, he was escorted to the square. There the liquid was drawn from the vat and poured into a silver cup, and given to the king.

But when the king drank it, he was shocked. You see, all he had in his cup was water. It turned out that every villager reasoned, "I'll keep my best wine for myself and substitute water. 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.

B. Transition

Well, today is Palm Sunday. This is the day in our church year where we remember Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. On this day, Jesus was received as a king as He entered Jerusalem. But he wasn't dishonored, like the King of Spain. On this day, he was greatly honored with the best gift that the people had-the gift of their praise!

But Palm Sunday also marks the beginning of Jesus' last week before His death. -This Sunday celebration would lead to the cross on Friday morning, -Then a tomb on Friday night and all day Saturday, -Finally His resurrection from the dead on Sunday morning.

If you have your Bibles, I'd like you to follow as I read Mark's account of this event in chapter 11, verses 1-10…

Mark 11:1-10 1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 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. 3 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'" 4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" 10 "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!"

II. Jesus' Mission: To Save

A. Jesus came to Jerusalem with a mission

It was Passover. Passover was an exciting time. Passover brought Jewish people from all over Israel and the Roman world on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They were there to celebrate one of their highest holy days. It commemorated God's mighty work when He freed the Jews from Egyptian bondage during the days of Moses.

But as Jesus traveled to Jerusalem on this day, He knew it would his last trip. We can't forget that while He was a man, He was also God. That means He knew what would happen in the coming week. He knew how He would be treated. He knew how He'd be tortured. And He knew how He would die. But He continued on, because He was driven by a mission.

Just a few days earlier He stated His mission. It's recorded in…

Luke 19:10 10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

The word Hosanna, that the people shouted to Jesus on Palm Sunday, literally means "Save!" It makes me wonder if Jesus thought, "That's exactly what I'm here to do. How right you all are."

B. Uninhibited Praise

As Jesus is riding into Jerusalem on this donkey, the crowd swells in size. They start shouting this greeting, "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!"

"Hosanna", like I said, means save. And in Jesus' time, it was a common shout of Jewish praise, reserved for God. To say Hosanna was to say one of the highest things you could say to God.

But not only were they shouting this greeting, verse 8 says that the people were laying things down in front of Jesus. They were laying down their cloaks and branches they had cut from the trees.

By doing this-spreading their coats on the road, and by the palm branches on the road, was their version of rolling out the red carpet.

This caused such a commotion that the religious leaders came out of the city to see what was going on. And when they saw and heard the commotion, they were aghast! In Luke's account of this event, he records this reaction…

Luke 19:39 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" But Jesus said… Luke 19:40 40 "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

In other words, Jesus was saying, "No, I'm going to rebuke them. Because God deserves praise. And people are beginning to see that this is who I am. It's so obvious, that if these people won't do it, then the inanimate objects of My Creation will!"

C. Imagine where you live

Well, friends, I want you to do something right now, that's a little unusual during a sermon. I want you to close your eyes. (Well, maybe for some of you that's not so unusual! For you, the unusual is to NOT go to sleep!)

Now, I want you to imagine something very familiar.

I want you to imagine a street-specifically, your street-the street you live on. Get the picture clearly in your mind. Do you see what that street looks like? -Do you see the trees, the houses, or apartments or condos, or mobile homes? -Do you see where each car is parked? -Do you see the general amount of traffic that is typically on your street? Now, imagine yourself standing outside next to your street, somewhere very close to where you live. Got that picture?

-Now I want you to imagine that you see something unusual coming down your street. You see a huge 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 in front of Jesus. -Some of your neighbors are rushing to the curb, because they want to lay things down in front of Him, as well.

Slowly, Jesus approaches the spot where you're standing… He's coming and closer and closer. And just before He gets to you, you lay something down. What is it?

Now, open your eyes. Friends, this is a very important and telling question for us to answer this morning-it's one of the main lessons of Palm Sunday… If Jesus came riding down your street, what would you lay down before Him?

III. Our Mission: To Praise

A. We're called to Praise

Now, don't make this harder than what it is. Because what we're talking about is praise. That's what the people on that first Palm Sunday laid down before Jesus. They gave Him their praise. So, what kind of praise would you give Jesus if He came down your street today? If you're confused about what praise is, think of it this way… Praise is essentially giving Jesus a compliment. What compliment would you give Him?

Praise can be done publicly or privately. And there is no one way to do it. In fact, it can be done in all kinds of ways-through spoken words, printed words, words that are sung in a song. Praise can be painted, signed with your hands, or even performed through drama or dance. In fact, just about any mode of communication is an avenue for praise-the only thing though, is it has to be more than just in your mind. It has to be expressed!

I like what theologian, Henry Van Dyke said. I put it on the front of your WIG's this morning…"A silent love is acceptable only from the lower animals. God has given us speech that we should call upon His name. Praise is to faith what fragrance is to the flower." (Henry Van Dyke in The Upward Path. Christianity Today, Vol. 42, no. 7.)

Praise is something that all followers of Jesus are called to do. In fact, it's an essential part of our mission… 1 Peter 2:9 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.

-Like I said, praise means to pay Jesus a compliment -or say good things about Him and what He's done -or tell Him "thank you" for something He's done -or just making a joyful noise because of your excitement for knowing Him.

So I'll ask the question again, but with a different twist, "If Jesus came riding down your street, what kind of praise would you give Him?"

If you have a hard time answering that question, there might be a problem. There may be some other things you need to lay down first, before you can praise. Let's consider some things that might be hindering your praise…

B. What kinds of things inhibit our praise?

1. Pride?

First of all, maybe it's your pride that stands in the way of your praise. I think sometimes we snooker ourselves into thinking that it's our nature or our temperament that keeps us silent rather than praising Jesus out loud.

I'll be honest with you, for years this was me. I used to think something like this…"By nature, I'm just not a very expressive person. My temperament was molded by my strict, unemotional, Dutch upbringing. And that doesn't lend itself to the kind of praise that took place on that first Palm Sunday. I'm too reserved."

Illustration: I'll tell someone who is not that way. Roberto Benigni. He's the Italian actor who won the "Oscar" for best actor in 1999 for the film "Life Is Beautiful."

When he heard his name called for being the winner of the Best Actor category, 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 same guy once bear-hugged the Pope, and kissed him, while calling him "Babbo" ... or "Daddy." Which led the Pope to say: "You are very Italian."

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

But… that same year, there was another guy who also received an Oscar for his work on that same picture-Life is Beautiful. His name was Nicola Piovani. He won the award for best musical score. Piovani is a very reserved man. But when he went up to receive his award, he began by saying: "Inside, I feel like Roberto Benigni." And the audience laughed hysterically.

Two different men-two different temperaments. But both expressed themselves. Piovani was just as grateful as Benigni, but he simply did it in a different way.

Friends, praise to Jesus can be offered in many different ways. It can be offered just as sincerely by someone who raises his or her hands and dances; as by someone who bows his or her head in reverent respect.

But pride replaces temperament when you don't express praise, when you have the opportunity. Pride is hiding behind your temperament, and refusing to participate in praise.

Psalms 10:4 4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

If you have room for God, you have room for praise. So, if Jesus came riding down your street and your pride is standing in the way of you giving praise, would you be willing to lay it down?

2. Fear?

But, maybe it's not pride that stands in your way of praising Jesus. Maybe it's fear.

The classic example I think of when I think of someone who had an opportunity to praise Jesus, but was just too scared…is Peter.

Later in this same week, Jesus was arrested by the Roman authorities. When they hauled Jesus off, Peter sort of stayed behind and lurked in the shadows. He was curious to see how things would turn out. Then someone said to him, "You were with the 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, as you probably know, Peter didn't say that. What He said was, "I don't know what you're talking about." And within a few minutes he denied knowing Jesus two more times. Peter could have praised, but he didn't, because he was afraid.

Sometimes it can seem scary to praise Jesus. -We are afraid of what people might think of us. -We are afraid of the label others might give us. -We are afraid that some people won't associate with us anymore. But Jesus says...

Matthew 10:32-33 32 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

If Jesus came riding down your street, and it's fear that stands in your way of praising Him, would you be willing to lay that fear down at His feet?

3. Doubt?

Or there could be a third thing that keeps you from praising Jesus-something called doubt.

Illustration: I think about a novel I read several years ago called The Flight of Peter Fromm. Peter Fromm was a young man with Midwestern roots who wanted to be a pastor. He had high ideals. He thought his faith was strong, and that he could take on any attacks against His faith. So he enrolled in the University of Chicago Divinity School, to face the challenges of liberal theology.

Now, if you don't know what I mean by liberal theology, it is a system of study where -the leaders have lost faith in miracles, -they don't believe in the inspiration of Scripture, and -they deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The book chronicles how day after day Peter's faith is confronted by intellectual arguments he's never thought about. And gradually, instead of his faith changing his academic environment, the environment changes him.

At the end of the book he stands before a church in Chicago on Easter Sunday to preach a sermon, but he's no longer sure of what he believes.

As he attempts to tell the congregation about the wonder of the resurrection of Jesus Christ-he realizes that he's no longer sure of it, himself. An inner battle takes place inside him. What he's saying and what he now believes are two different things. And this conflict overcomes him, and he suffers a mental breakdown right there in the pulpit. And finally he 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 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 praise, would you at least be willing to consider laying it down?

Every person I know who has been willing to lay their doubts before Jesus, have received help to resolve those doubts. You just have to be willing to lay them down and say, Jesus, I'm searching. Please show me the truth.

4. Other things?

Now, it might not be pride, or fear or doubt, that keep you from praising Jesus. But maybe it's… -Possessions-you own too much, and that wealth, and keeping that wealth… has consumed you, and there's no room for God in your life. -or some ongoing sin in your life that has broken the fellowship between you and God. -or maybe it's sadness, or burdens, or worries that stand in your way of praising Jesus. But the example of Palm Sunday asks each one of us… If there is anything that is keeping you from praising Him this morning, would you be willing to lay it down at the feet of Jesus, and see what happens? After all, what have you got to lose?

IV. Conclusion

Most of you are here today because you know… …that what a relationship with Jesus offers is better than anything you could have without Him. …and what He asks of you is better than any agenda you have set for yourself. And that's why Palm Sunday means something to you.

If that's the case, don't hold back my friends…Praise! -When you're at church-sing, clap, raise your hands, close your eyes, bow your head, just do something. And whatever you do, don't confuse temperament with pride. Temperament won't stand in the way of you praising-but pride will! -When you're with a friend or co-worker-instead of saying, "Boy that really worked out well…" say, "God sure took care of that one!" -In the car-sing a love song to Jesus in a quiet whisper, or at the top of your lungs. Just do it out loud. That's the fragrance of your faith!

Just realize, the worst thing you can do is to remain silent.

Psalms 150:6 says… 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

And as I look around the room, this morning, it seems like everyone in this room has breath. So, everyone of us must praise the Lord! 

Amen.