LUKE 19:28-40 JESUS CHRIST IS KING2014 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Luke 19:28-40 Jesus Christ Is King

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2014.

Well, as we look at this passage here in Luke chapter 19, we are looking at a very big occasion. This is a special day. And it's a special day because what we see happening here is the fulfillment of the prophecies that had been given through Zechariah the prophet.

I'm sure you're familiar with this passage. We often go through this passage on Palm Sunday, which is the Sunday before Easter. We refer to this as the triumphal entry. Because this is the time where Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey and doing so proclaims himself to be king. Zechariah the prophet in chapter 9 verse 9 says,

told the people, rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you. He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. Here, Zechariah declares that the king, the Messiah, the promised savior is

for the people of Israel would come to Jerusalem riding on a colt, the colt of a donkey. He made the proclamation that the king would present himself in this way. Now this is particularly amazing because Zechariah, the prophet, ministered

Well, these things were written four to five hundred years prior to the events we're reading about here in Luke chapter 19. Just to give that a little bit of context, if you think about four hundred years ago from today, do you know who was president? No.

Well, that was before there was presidents here in the United States. That was when King James I was on the throne in England. Jamestown, Virginia had just been established in the early 1600s. The King James Bible was just beginning to be put together and assembled and translated and such.

So that's 400 years ago. 500 years ago, that's Christopher Columbus' days. That's Martin Luther, the Reformation, the Protestant Reformation. In those time periods...

If one of them had spoken about, you know, the way that the next president of the United States, you know, would enter into the White House, that's kind of the idea that Zechariah is declaring. He's saying the king is coming in this unique way and it's about four or five hundred years before Jesus actually enters into Jerusalem on a donkey. Before this king actually comes. Right?

But this also is important because this is the first time really openly and publicly Jesus has declared that he is the Messiah.

We've been reading through the book of Matthew as we go through the Bible in three years on Wednesday evenings. And as we've been seeing, Jesus often will do miracles and then he'll tell the people, hey, don't tell anybody, keep it quiet, you know, go offer your sacrifices at the temple and do those kinds of things, but keep it quiet, don't tell anybody. But then as we know, as we read, you know, they wouldn't listen to Jesus, they would go tell everybody what Jesus did for them.

But he was doing miracles. He's saying, okay, you know, I've healed you. Now keep it quiet. And then we saw in Matthew chapter 17, the transfiguration, right? Where Jesus is transfigured before his disciples. He's shining in glory. His glory is being revealed. And as he's headed down the mountain after that experience, he tells the disciples, hey, don't talk about this until after I've been resurrected.

Then you can talk about it. But hold off talking about it until then. Jesus was not publicly proclaiming himself to be the Messiah. He was demonstrating it. It was evident in his teaching and in the miraculous works. But he wasn't standing up and saying, hey guys, I'm the Messiah. I am here.

But this day changed that. On this day, he made that public proclamation by fulfilling this prophecy and riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Not only that, but as the people are proclaiming that he's the Messiah and the religious leaders object to it, Jesus says, no, I'm not going to stop them. This is appropriate. He's declaring, I am Jesus.

the Savior. I am the King that Zechariah promised. And so the title of the message this morning is Jesus Christ is King. Now many times we do talk about Jesus as the Messiah or as the Savior, but this morning the Lord wants to remind us not to forget that He also is the King of

He is the Savior. That is, He died upon the cross for our sins. He made the way that we could have forgiveness and right relationship with God. But don't forget that He is the King.

And we must respond to him as king. He is the king. So we must be his subjects. We must be submitted to him as is appropriate for the king that he is. And so from this passage, we learn from the disciples what it looks like when you allow Jesus to be your king. He is king, but some people are in rebellion to his authority, to his kingship.

But when we are submitted to his authority, when we are in line with him and agree that he is king, the disciples give us an example here of what that looks like. And so we have three points we'll go through this morning looking at the disciples and what it looks like for us when we recognize Jesus Christ.

For the king that he is. And so we begin in verses 28 through 32 with the first point. Jesus Christ is king. So what must we do? We must obey him. Those who accept that Jesus Christ is king...

Obey him because he is king. Now we pick it up in verse 28. We're continuing on the account of Jesus now heading into Jerusalem. Verse 28 says, when he had said this, he went on ahead going up to Jerusalem.

So he's been ministering. We looked, you know, a couple weeks ago at the ministry that was going on there, the parables that he was telling. He's been making his way all the way since chapter 9 of the Gospel of Luke, and he's

on this final journey to Jerusalem. He's been winding around, going to a bunch of different cities and villages on this last stretch. Now he's headed from Jericho where he was and now he's at the last part of the journey to Jerusalem. Now this is his final journey to Jerusalem, you know, before his crucifixion. He's going to go into Jerusalem. He's going to be there for a week and

And then he's going to be crucified. Now as we see that Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, there's a crowd that's with him. And they are very excited about what's to happen. Now you might remember a couple weeks ago, Jesus told the parable, the parable of the minas, right? So that, or because that, they thought the kingdom would be established immediately. Right?

And so you can really quickly begin to understand the excitement of the crowd here as Jesus is heading to Jerusalem. He's fulfilling this prophecy of Zechariah. He's proclaiming himself to be king. And the people are thinking that's going to happen immediately. He's going to set up his kingdom right now. And so the disciples are receiving their king.

They are expecting that the kingdom will be established right then and there. And they don't fully understand the plan of God yet. They don't yet understand that this plan, as they are receiving their king, is also going to involve crucifixion. And so they are receiving their king in great joy.

Not understanding the fullness of the plan. That Jesus will come as king. But that hasn't happened yet. We're looking forward to that. When Jesus comes for the second time. And he will rule and reign upon the earth for a thousand years. But I bring that up to say. Listen we need to accept Jesus Christ as king. Because he is king. But also understand that. It doesn't mean that all of our expectations are going to be fulfilled. Sometimes what we think is.

is going to happen as we accept Jesus as king is not really part of the plan of God. And sometimes you and I accepting Jesus as king, well, it might include some suffering. It might include some crucifixion. It might involve some things that we didn't expect or anticipate or desire. And the question is, will you still accept him as king? And as we're looking here at point one, will you still obey him?

Even if it means that the things that you thought were going to happen are not part of his plan as you accept him as king. It's something to consider as we go through these things. It's great, you know, to praise Jesus and declare him to be your king. But...

Will you be willing to do so even when it's not with great fanfare and a popular thing to do? Will you do so when it's not that all of your expectations will be fulfilled? But will we do so no matter what? Because he really is king. And that's the key. He really is king whether we accept it or not. Well, we see the preparation is made here in verse 29. It says, It came to pass when he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the mountain called Olivet,

Verse 1.

So now they've arrived at the Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet. Now this is directly across from Jerusalem. It's about two miles away but Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives are on two peaks and there's a valley in between. So even though it's two miles away it's like they're right next to each other because you can see Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives and vice versa. And so he's up now right about the top of the Mount of Olives. There's a couple cities there Bethany and Bethphage and

He's going to be dealing with those cities or staying there and talking with them. And he sends two disciples in to one of those cities ahead of him to prepare the way. He sent two of his disciples with specific instructions. He says, go into the village opposite you. So that's where I want you to go. And then here's what you're going to find. When you enter, you're going to find a cult there.

A young donkey. No one's ever sat on this colt. You're going to find that colt tied there in front of some, you know, house, some neighborhood. You're going to find the colt there. And then here's what I want you to do. Look around. Make sure no one's watching. And then steal it. Is that what he says? He says, loose it and bring it here. Basically the same thing, right? It's like if I tell you, all right, go down the street. You're going to find a blue car. The keys are in the car. Jump in. Bring it here. And then you're going to find the colt.

That's not what we would expect from Jesus. Now, it's not stealing. He gets the owner's permission. That comes later on. But it highlights the preparation that has gone forth. Jesus is preparing the way. God has prepared the way so that there's people there. There's a donkey there. It's never been sat on. The people are willing for Jesus to use it. God has prepared the way for this special day, for this event to take place.

He goes on in verse 31. If anyone asks you, why are you loosing it? Thus you shall say to him, because the Lord has need of it. And so again, you see the preparation of God. This was all prepared in advance. There was a specific family that lived in that specific city. And that specific family in that specific city had a donkey on which no one had ever sat.

Not only that, but they had it tied up and accessible along the way for the disciples to be able to find and to bring to Jesus. And this family was willing for the Lord to use this donkey that they had tied up there outside of their home. All of this had been prepared. God had been working in the hearts of this family. And we don't know the behind the scenes. We don't know how God did this preparation. But it's all done. It's all set up. It's all prepared.

And now Jesus needs it. Why? Because he's fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah. And he's going to now ride this donkey into Jerusalem. Now that's pretty amazing. This family, we don't know really anything about them. We just know they had a donkey that no one had ever rode upon. They get to be part of this incredible day. They get to be part of, they contribute the transportation of,

For this amazing fulfillment as Jesus declares himself to be the Messiah by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. It's amazing. God is accomplishing his work and fulfilling this prophecy from four or five hundred years prior with just these normal people who have

Their car parked outside with the keys in it. You know what I mean? It's just, they just had their transportation available. They just had it there. They're just normal people. But God uses them to accomplish the fulfillment of this great day, this great work, this significant day in the life of Jesus. Verse 32. So those who were sent went their way and found it just as he said to them. Here we see the example of these disciples. What do they do?

They obey Jesus. Jesus tells them, all right, go to this town opposite you. You're going to find a colt. Untie it and bring it to me. And the disciples go out and do what Jesus said. They don't ask a bunch of questions. All right, well, do we have the right to take this donkey? I mean, is it legitimate for us? Are the cops going to chase us down? What's going to happen? You know, they're not trying to figure everything out. They're just...

obedient as the Lord speaks to them. And what we find is that as they obey, everything is exactly the way that Jesus said that it would be. The disciples here are a great example for us. Because Jesus Christ is King, we learn from their example, we must obey Him. We must obey Him. When the Lord speaks...

We must obey. We must comply. It's not that we need to, you know, figure out what Jesus has in mind, and all of his plans and purposes, and how it's all going to work, and what's going to happen, and these steps, and then those steps, and all the what-ifs. I understand. I like to know the plan. I like to know the what-ifs, and sometimes when the Lord speaks to you, he just gives you

A small piece of the information, just the first step or the first couple of steps. But what about after that? And how are they going to respond? And what if they say this? What the Lord desires, what the Lord requires, because He is King, our job is really just to obey Him. Think about what it means for Him to be King. You know, a King is different than a President. Right?

A king rules a monarchy. A president, as we know it, you know, rules a democracy. But the kingdom of God is not a democracy. We don't get to vote. Jesus says, well, here's what I think we should do. Here's what I want you to do. Go this way, find the donkey, loose it, and the disciples say, all right, guys, let's take a vote. There's an even number, so, you know, let's not tie, okay, please. And then all the disciples vote. All right, seven against nine.

My mouth is bad. I'm sorry. Seven against five. Okay. All right. We're going to go and do what Jesus said to do. The kingdom of God is not a democracy. We don't get to vote. Understand that when Jesus gives you instruction, our role is to obey. And it doesn't matter so much if we agree with that instruction or not. It doesn't matter so much if we understand the reasons behind it or the reasons for it.

We don't have to have the whole picture. Our job is to obey because Jesus Christ is king. Now, Jesus being king, again, the difference between king and a president, the king or becoming a king is by inheritance, whereas a president is elected.

Jesus Christ is king because he is the son of God. It's his rightful position. It's his rightful role. He is the heir and therefore he is the king. And so it's not a matter of, well, I didn't choose him. You know, I didn't vote for him. Don't blame me. That kind of thing. No, Jesus Christ is king. And so we must obey him. Now, another thing about a king versus a president is that a king rules for life.

A president has a specified term. Jesus Christ is king. It's his rightful role. He rules. It's a monarchy. It's what he says goes. And that is for the rest of his life. Now how long is Jesus going to live? Quite a long time, right? He's everlasting. He's eternal. And so as long as he's alive, he is king. And that means that our rightful place...

is in subjection to him. You must obey your king. You must obey your king. And that is what he has, you must obey what he has spoken through his word. You must obey what he speaks to your heart. What he tells you directly. Because as believers in Jesus Christ, we are to have a real relationship with God.

And so you should be hearing from God. That should be a normal part of the Christian life, that you hear from God. And as he speaks, understand those are not suggestions. They're not things for you and your wife to vote upon and say, well, do we want to do this or not? We are to be obedient. You must obey your king. But here's the amazing thing. Jesus is not just like power hungry and he just gets such great joy about saying something and watching us all run around.

The reason why Jesus gives commands is for our benefit. So he doesn't just arbitrarily make up things, just, you know, jump through hoops. Oh, this is so fun to watch them jump through those hoops. Let's make it interesting. Light the hoops on fire. Now jump through the hoops. He's not just entertaining himself. Every command he gives, it's for our good. It's for us that he commands us. And by obeying Jesus, get this, by obeying Jesus, you get to be part of

Of his amazing work. You see these two disciples. They obeyed Jesus. And they got to be part of this amazing day. Where Jesus fulfills. Zechariah 9.9. Where Jesus publicly declares. I am the Messiah. I am the promised one. I am the king. They got to be part of this day. Because they obeyed. As Jesus spoke. He had it all lined up for them. All they had to do.

was just do what Jesus said. And now, forever, they've been able to be part of this incredible day. It reminded me of what Paul said in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10. He tells us there that we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

I love this verse. I've quoted it, I'm sure, recently and many times before that as well. Because this is such an incredible thought.

As you think about your life, you know, you look ahead to the future and you have your plans, but it's pretty much a mystery. You don't have it all lined out. You don't have all the details. But as God looks at our life, he knows all the details. He knows all the steps we're going to take. And so he can see our life as this path, you know, from the present, like he just sees the path that's going on ahead. And on this path of our life, with all those details that he knows about, he set up a

Which are good works for us to do. And he's already prepared the way. He's already set it all up. That's what Paul says. His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works. Which God prepared beforehand. So that we should walk in them.

So you wake up tomorrow. You have no idea what the day holds. But God knows. Yeah at 845. There's going to be this opportunity. There's going to be this person. There's going to be this situation. There's going to be. You know. Someone who needs to get on the freeway. And you're going to slow down. And let them in. Show the grace of God. And then at 925. There's going to be this other situation. And then it. You get the point. That God has prepared beforehand. All these opportunities for good works. And then at 925.

For you to represent Christ. To shine the light of Christ. To share the love of Christ. And he's got it all laid out ahead of you. All prepared beforehand. Which is great because it's not like you have to figure out. Okay, let me figure out a bunch of good things I can do today. You don't got to figure it out. He has it laid out. He has it all prepared beforehand. Now our job is to walk in them.

to hear from him and recognize this is something God wants me to do. This is something God has set up for me. Just like these two disciples, he didn't say, okay, go find a donkey. And the disciples are like, oh my goodness, where are we going to find a donkey this time of day? I don't got any money. You got any money? I don't got any money. How are we going to find a donkey with no money? And Jesus says, that's your problem. You work it out. Figure it out. Go find a donkey. No, no, no. He had it all prepared. It's going to be here. It'll be tied up there. Get the donkey and bring it back.

And in doing so, he did all the work. All the preparation was done by him. But in obeying Jesus, they get to be part of his amazing work. And that's the reality for you and I. Listen, Jesus Christ is king. He rules and he reigns on high. And therefore, he is able to prepare ahead of time good works for you. Now, he gives you the command to do these works not because...

He just wants to make you do stuff, especially stuff that you don't like to do. That's the stuff he really wants to get you to do. Most enjoyable for him. No, no, no. If he asks you to do things that you don't enjoy, it's not because he just wants to make you do something you don't like to do. It's because he wants you to do things that are good for you. Serving him, obeying him is good for you. And it's things that he has set up and established and prepared for you.

Now it starts with being a disciple. And so if you're not a disciple of Jesus. If you're not following Jesus. And you don't hear from him. And he doesn't speak to you. You got to go back and start there. And get right with God. And pursue God by faith in Jesus Christ. And learn to hear his voice. And receive his instruction. But then as you are walking with God. Then you're looking to him. For direction. For those commands. And because he's king. Obey him.

Even if it doesn't make sense. Even if you don't quite get it. Obey him. You'll find it exactly the way that he said. That's what the disciples found. They went into the town. They found it exactly the way Jesus described. In the same way when Jesus gives you commands. When he tells you this is what's going to happen. You're going to find it exactly the way that he says. As you obey him. And you'll find that he's had it prepared. He's arranged it. So that you can represent him well. To the world around you.

And so the first example of the disciples that we see is obedience. Jesus Christ is king. And as they are receiving him as king, they are obedient to his commands. In the same way, we must be obedient to the commands of our king. Now as we go on into verses 33 through 36, the second point is to give him whatever he needs. Again, we see this example in the disciples.

As they're rejoicing and celebrating and receiving Jesus as their king, they're willing to just give whatever is needed for the situation. We pick it up in verse 33. It says, But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, Why are you loosing the colt? So Jesus had prepared them for this. You're going to find it. Untie it. If somebody asks you why,

Tell them, the Lord has need of it. And they go, and then people ask them, why are you loosing the colt? And they respond in verse 34, they said, the Lord has need of him. So they're challenged, as they jump in this car and begin to start it up, and the owner says, hey, what do you think you're doing, taking my car? And you say, hey, the Lord has need of it, see you later. That's what they did. They said, the Lord has need of it. And they said, okay, take it. Oh, the Lord needs it?

You're not just some thief. You're not just ripping me off. The Lord needs it. If the Lord needs it, it's his. Take it. God has prepared these people in advance. And they're willing. If the Lord needs it, he can have this donkey. He can have this colt. Now, maybe it stirs up a little bit of a question in our minds. Because how is it possible that God could ever need anything?

How is it possible that the Lord would need something? Psalm chapter 50 verse 12. God says, if I were hungry, I would not tell you for the world is mine and all its fullness. What does God need? He says, if I was hungry, if I needed something, I wouldn't tell you. I own the world. It's mine. He's the creator. So how could God need something? Yet he told the disciples to say, the Lord has need of him.

Why didn't Jesus just create a new donkey? That's right out of the dust. Or if he's going to do that, I mean, might as well be a Ferrari. I mean, just right out of the dust. Right into Jerusalem. Proclaim yourself to be king. Why did he not do it that way? Why did he do it this way? Well, this is the way that God works. God humbles himself and lets there be a need. He doesn't just meet all his own needs. He humbles himself and

And allows for there to be a need to allow for us to be part of fulfilling that need. He allows for there to be a need so that you have the opportunity to meet that need. And then, which is, there's great reward in being part of the work of God and doing the things that, you know, God has set up beforehand.

But as He allows for that need to exist, and then He allows you to be a part of it, then He also rewards those who meet that need. Not only do you get to be part of the work, but He rewards you for being part of the work. In Matthew chapter 10, verse 42, Jesus declares...

Whoever gives these little ones, talking about little children, a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward. Whether it be big things or little things, providing a cup of water to a child, Jesus says, you won't lose your reward. There's reward there.

For giving to Jesus what he needs. For giving to the Lord what he needs. He allows for there to be a need. So that you and I can participate in his work. We can contribute to his work. And then he rewards us. Now the amazing thing is. Everything we have is from God anyway. So he gives us the resources. And then rewards us for using them. In the way that he's called us to. And the opportunities that he's given to us.

We see this great example here in the owners of this donkey. Now think about it for yourself, okay? You're kicking back at your house. You see someone jump in your car. They're loosening the wires and sparking them together. Starts up. Hey, what do you think you're doing? The Lord has need of him. Okay, take it. It's the Lord's. Now that doesn't mean we're supposed to just, you know, let everything be stolen from us. That's not the point here. But that if God told you...

Hey, I want to use your vehicle. Where would your heart be at on that? Well, Lord, you can have my old car, but this is a new one. No one's ever driven it before. You can't have that one. Let me give you the old donkey. Where would your heart be? Now, I don't know that the Lord's asking that of you, right? I mean, and I'm certainly not, please understand, I'm not asking for donations to the church, okay? This is not about...

getting stuff for the property here or anything this is about you and the lord what is god well what needs has he made available to you what needs do you see what needs has he opened your eyes to and and are you willing to be part of meeting that need are you willing to give to jesus whatever he needs it's not for his sake that we give to him whatever he needs it's for our sake it's

It's good for us because it helps us with the issue of, you know, holding on to things that we have. That can become idolatry very quickly in our hearts. But it's also helpful for us because then we get to be part of the work of God, which is an incredible privilege. But then it's also helpful because then, on top of all that, He gives us great reward for meeting those needs. Even if it's as simple as a cup of cold water.

To a child in need. Jesus Christ is king. So give him whatever he needs. Check your heart. Make sure your heart's right. That you're willing to give to Jesus what he asks of you. That's what we see in the example of the owners of this cult. But then going on in verse 35, we see it in the disciples. He says, then they brought him to Jesus and they threw their own clothes on the cult and they set Jesus on him.

You see what happens here? The disciples bring back this colt, but the saddle wasn't included in this deal. And so they make a saddle from their own clothes. They take off their outer garments and they make a saddle for Jesus upon the donkey so that he has a place to sit. It says they threw their own clothes on the colt. You see the emphasis there. They gave of what they had. They gave of themselves. They took off their own coats and

And gave what they had. They didn't use somebody else's clothes. Sometimes we see needs. But we want to use somebody else's clothes. I think they have more clothes than I do. So give me some of your clothes. And then we can meet this need. I see the need. But you know I only have this outer garment. That's all I got. So I'm not going to use that. That's crazy. Let me have yours. You have extras. They gave their own clothes. Now let me also say. They didn't go into debt to buy a saddle.

They gave of what they had. They said, okay, here's the need. Let me think about what I have and I'll do the best I can with what I have to meet this need. And so they bring the donkey to Jesus. They put their own clothes on the colt and they set Jesus upon the donkey. They get to be part of this work, of this great day by giving what they had. Now, Jesus received it. He didn't say, hey, where's my saddle? Give me a proper saddle.

He received what they had as they gave to him willingly and freely. Remember, well, we haven't gotten there quite yet in Luke chapter 21 when Jesus is watching people give their offerings at the temple and the rich people are bringing trumpets and announcing and wonderful things as they, you know, bring these great donations and then Jesus nudges the disciples and say, check out that widow, two little pennies, she drops in. He says, she gave more than everybody else.

Because they gave out of their abundance. She gave out of her poverty. The Lord recognized the expense or the cost of her gift. And is explaining she's given more. Because it's not about the money. God's not hard up for cash. He's not trying to just figure out how am I going to pay the bills of all the churches around the world next month. He's not worried about the cash. He's not worried about the money. He's not worried about the resources. He's worried about our hearts.

He's concerned for our hearts. He wants us to be part. He's concerned for our eternal rewards. It's like, man, they're going to get there and they're not going to have nothing. Let me make some needs. Let me give them some opportunity to be involved in my work. And that way when they get to eternity, they have great reward there that they can enjoy for the rest of eternity. And so the disciples say, hey, you want my garment? Sure. My king can have whatever he needs.

I'll make a saddle. I'll do the best that I can with the resources I have. Well, we see that extended in verse 36. It says, "...as they went, many spread their clothes on the road." So the disciples put their clothes on the donkey, but then as they're going forward, now the big crowd of disciples, the multitude that's there, they begin to lay out their garments along the road.

We also see from other scriptures they lay out palm branches as well. This is kind of like, you know, we would think about maybe like rolling out the red carpet. It's a way to honor someone, to say you really don't deserve to touch the ground. You're more worthy than that. We don't want to disrespect you by making you, you know, walk in the dirt. And so we're going to provide this path for you paved with

Our garments with palm branches, anything we can find so that you don't have to walk in the dirt because you're so much more deserving than that. Now again, they used what they had to meet this need, to honor their king, to receive their king. The crowd agrees with the disciples. Our king can have whatever he needs. We're going to place our garments there in the ground and let him walk upon them so that he does not have to walk

In the dirt. It was a gesture of great honor and recognition. To honor Jesus. According to what he deserves. Now again we see from these examples. Of the owners of the donkey. Of the disciples. Of the crowd. We see from their examples. That we. As we receive Jesus as king. We need to give Jesus whatever he needs. He doesn't ask for things. Or make those needs available. Because he.

He's not capable of meeting those needs himself. He's fully capable. And if he was hungry, he wouldn't ask you. But he allows for those needs. He humbles himself in that way so that we get to be part of his work. He asks you to give because of your need. He asks you to be part of it because of your need. Because you need to be giving. You need to be letting go of earthly things. You need to be

Looking forward to eternal things. It's because of our need that he asks us to give. Give Jesus whatever he needs. Now he gave us an example of this in Matthew chapter 25. Remember there he was separating the sheep and the goats. And he talked to them and said, hey, you guys, you ministered to me. When I was in the hospital, you visited me. When I was in prison, you visited me.

When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was hungry, you fed me. And then you guys, you didn't visit me, you didn't clothe me, you didn't care about me. And both groups are saying, when did this happen? When did we do this to you? And he explained, no, when you did it to the least of these, my brethren, you did it unto me.

And so when we talk about giving Jesus whatever he needs, again, we're not going to take an offering and pass it around the bag and, you know, now make sure you give Jesus what he needs now. That's not what this is about. This is about, listen, in your life, God has established you as his representative to your world. And so to your family and to your coworkers and to your neighbors, you represent Jesus.

And so when you come in contact with those who are in need, you have an opportunity to meet that need as unto the Lord. And when you do it to, he says, the least of these my brethren, when you meet the needs of people in the name of Jesus, he says, you're doing that to me. Give to Jesus what he needs. Now, there is balance to this, okay? You cannot meet every need, right?

and some people are just seeking to, you know, take advantage. And so you have to be wise in what you give as well. But let's be careful not to just let that be an excuse for holding on to the things that we want and not being willing to give them up. Again, if Jesus Christ is king, then give him whatever he needs. Be open to him to say that, I want that. Oh, but that's precious to me, Lord. But that's what I want. Give it away.

Let's be open to Jesus giving that kind of direction to us. That we would represent him well. That we would be his hands, his feet, ministering in his name. And he says, as you do that, you do it unto me. Well, the final point, final example from the disciples in receiving Jesus as king, found in verses 37 through 40, is that we are to praise him as he deserves.

So Jesus Christ is king. That's true whether we like it or not or accept it or not. But when we accept it, here's what it looks like. We obey him. We put into practice what he says. We live it out. We do what he says even when we don't always understand it. Not only that, but we give him whatever he needs. When he sets up those opportunities for us and he paves the way, he gives us the provisions of

We give unto Him. We allow Him to use our resources to accomplish His work and what He wants to do. And finally, we praise Him as He deserves. We give Him the glory that is due His name. We see this in verse 37. It says, 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.

So on his way to Jerusalem, he's coming up the Mount of Olives. He sends a couple of disciples ahead to the top. They get a donkey. They bring it back. He continues up to the top. Now he's

Going down the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem, heading into the Kidron Valley. And now there is this great celebration as the multitude rejoices and praises God with a loud voice. There is this loud public celebration. This public adoration. And really it's a public acceptance, right?

of Jesus Christ as king. Now this could be very dangerous for the people who are praising Jesus at this point. This could come with great costs because the religious leaders had already made it very clear anybody who receives Jesus or says that Jesus is the Messiah, they will be cast out of the synagogue. They'll be excommunicated from our community.

In John chapter 9, which took place not much longer before this event that we're reading about today, where Jesus healed the blind man. And remember, they asked him, how did this happen? And he told them, and they're like, oh, I don't believe this guy. Let's bring in his parents. And the parents didn't want to say anything, remember? They're like, well, just ask him. He's old enough. He's an adult. You can talk to him. They didn't want to talk about Jesus. They were afraid. Why? Why?

Well it tells us in John chapter 9 verse 22. It says, because they feared the Jews. For the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that he was the Christ... He would be put out of the synagogue. And so they're openly and publicly declaring and praising and worshipping Jesus. This could come at great cost. Because the Jewish leaders had already decreed. If you declare him to be the Christ...

You're going to be excommunicated. You're going to be cut off. It would come at great price perhaps for them to praise Jesus openly and publicly in this way. But on this day, they recognize there's no secrecy afforded in this day. This is a day where he must be praised.

And so openly, publicly, loudly, they rejoice and praise God with a loud voice. And here's what they say in verse 38. Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. They're quoting here from Psalm 118. You're probably familiar with that psalm or portions of it. This is the day the Lord has made. That's just a couple verses earlier.

We also see in the other gospel accounts they're declaring Hosanna which means save now. That's from verse 25 of Psalm 118. And so they're calling back, they're reporting or reviewing and crying out this psalm in declaration that Jesus is the King. Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.

Now again, they're saying Hosanna, which means save now. Their mindset's a little bit different. They're thinking Jesus is going to establish his kingdom, even though he's been warning them. They're still thinking he's going to establish his kingdom. He's going to rule on high. He's going to overthrow Rome right now. But of course, Jesus was coming at that point to deal with sin and go to the cross in order to pay the price for sin. But nevertheless, this is the day the Lord has made.

And he is presenting himself as the Savior, the King, the Messiah. And the crowd worships and praises and agrees. Yes, you are the King. Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Now, this is not some ambiguous thing like, you know, the people really don't know what's going on. The religious leaders at this point object.

In verse 39 it says, Some of the Pharisees called to him from the crowd, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. They're upset at this point. Jesus, you need to rebuke them. Why? They are declaring that you are the Messiah. That's wrong. That's not what they should be doing. Jesus, tell them to be quiet. Rebuke them. You see, there were those who received Jesus as their king that day.

And they worshipped him. They praised him. But not everybody received Jesus as their king. The religious leader said, no, this is not right. You are not the king. You don't deserve this praise. This is wrong for them to do this. They're declaring that you're the Messiah. And Jesus says, that's because they're right. Check out verse 40. But he answered and said to them, I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.

Jesus says, I'm not going to tell them to be quiet. In fact, if they were to be quiet, the stones, Jerusalem is a real rocky place, the Mount of Olives, lots of rocks. And so Jesus says, these stones all around us, they would cry out,

If these disciples were not praising. Because this is the day the Lord has made. And on this day, the prophecy is being fulfilled. The Messiah is revealed. This day is so important that if they don't praise me and worship me because I'm the Savior, then the rocks will. That's how important this day is. Jesus says...

I deserve this praise. Because I am the king. And I am revealing myself as the king. And I'm declaring that I am the Messiah. I deserve this praise. It's right. And if they don't praise. Then the rest of creation will. Because this day requires praise. It deserves praise. Not everybody praised Jesus that day. But the disciples did. Those who received him as their king. And this morning.

It's an exhortation to us. Praise Jesus as He deserves. Praise Him as He deserves. You know, sometimes worship for us as Christians, well, we really miss what it's all about sometimes. Sometimes to us it's kind of just filler. It's just music or it's just entertainment. Sometimes we really don't engage.

But one aspect of worship that you need to be aware of, as demonstrated here, is that whether you like that song or not, whether it's your favorite song, or your favorite worship leader, or your favorite kind of instrument, or your favorite whatever, it's not about if it's your favorite. It's about how much Jesus deserves your worship, your praise, your adoration. We can be so self-centered and focused, and we miss and we forget.

Jesus Christ is king. He's king. He reigns on high. He is the king of kings and lord of lords. He deserves our praise. He is worthy of our praise. We need to praise him. And so I want to encourage you. Again this is part of why we split up the service the way that we did this morning. To give you some opportunity to put this in practice. Because

The girls are going to come back up and lead us in a couple more songs. And I want to encourage you to let your voice be heard. Now you might be thinking, well, I don't have the greatest voice. So that's why I don't sing that much in church. Because I really can't carry a tune. I don't want to be like one of those crazy people on American Idol. And Pastor Jerry is like, oh, you can't sing. That sounds like you're killing cats. What's going on? Get out of church. This is not a performance performance.

for other people this is not about how you sound or how great you feel when you sing it's about how worthy he is he's worthy now this was all taking place on this day as jesus rode into jerusalem and announced himself to be king that was the day the lord had made and yet today also is a day that the lord has made and as we receive jesus as king it's right it's proper it's appropriate it's

for us to praise him openly publicly unashamedly and sometimes we get intimidated don't we we look around like are other people raising their hands i want to raise my hands but only if somebody else is raised somebody raise your hands like i want to raise my hands too it's like i can't do i can't be the first we're thinking too much about ourselves we're thinking too much about each other we need to be thinking more about jesus if he prompts your heart to raise your hands and raise your hands

Give him the glory that's due his name. Praise him as he deserves. He is king. He reigns on high. And so I want to invite the girls to come on up. And they're going to lead us in a few songs as we close out the service. And we'll partake of communion in a little bit. But as they lead us, I would ask. It says there in verse 37.

But they began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen. You can think about what Jesus has done for us upon the cross as we will at communion in just a few moments. You can think about the forgiveness and redemption that he has brought to you. You can think about the miracles and the provision that he's brought in your life. You can think about a lot of things. But think about something.

Remember what God has done. Remember what He has done. Remember that He is King. And then let's join with the disciples and rejoice and praise God with a loud voice. Let's lift up our voices and praise Him because He's worthy. Let's receive Him as our King. And so let's worship Him in a way that is worthy of who He is and what He's done for us. Amen?

Let's worship the Lord together. Your mercy falls with the rain. Your power displayed in the wild ocean. Your presence will always remain. Jesus, your love reaches to the heavens. You are God.

High above the earth Angels sing for you Mountains melt at the sound of your day Oceans roar for you All of creation gives you praise You are God

High above the earth, you are God. Jesus, you're all that I need. Here is my life, come and take it from me. Jesus, you make me complete.

With you by my side, I can know no boundaries. You are God, high above the earth. Angels sing for you. Mountains melt at the sound of your name.

Oceans roar for you All of creation gives you praise Angels sing for you Mountains melt at the sound of your name Oceans roar for you

All of creation gives you praise. You are God high above the earth. You are God high above the earth. You are God high above the earth.

We also want to partake of communion this morning. And this is so appropriate as we consider the passage we've been reading today. And that is, Jesus presented himself as the Messiah. That is, the Savior that God had promised from the very beginning. When Adam and Eve fell in the garden, from that time forward, God was promising, I'm going to send a Savior.

One who will deal with this sin that began in the Garden of Eden. One who will take care of the consequences. That separation from God. Which is the result of our sinfulness. Our sinful condition. And Jesus on that day declared Himself to be the Savior. It was only a few days later that He fulfilled that by dying upon the cross. The night that He was betrayed...

He gave to us what we represent here in communion today. He gave us the bread and the cup as symbols to represent, he told his disciples, take this bread. It's my body broken for you. He said, take this cup. It's my blood which is shed for the remission of sins. He says, do this in remembrance of me. It's so appropriate for us today.

As we remember that Jesus Christ is King. To remember that He, as King, humbled Himself to meet our greatest need. To die upon the cross for us. To allow His body to be broken and His blood to be shed. And He wants us to remember what He did for us. That He is the way, the truth, and the life. The ushers, as they lead us in this next song, the ushers are going to pass out both the bread and the cup. And here's what I'd like you to do.

As you receive the bread, you receive the cup, be worshiping Jesus. Continue to praise Him as He's worthy. And whenever you're ready, anytime during these last two songs, you partake. But partake in a way that you are declaring to the Lord, I receive you as my King.

I'm willing to obey you as my king. I'm willing to give you whatever you need. I'm willing to praise you as you deserve because you are my king. And as I partake of these elements, I'm declaring to you, Jesus, that I receive your salvation and your kingship. And I will be your subject. I will submit to you. Let that be the declaration of your heart.

As you partake of communion this morning. And if you are here this morning and you do not have a right relationship with God. If you've either never had a right relationship with God. Or you're just trying to get back right with God. Today's a great opportunity for you to do that. Don't refrain from communion but partake of it and say yes.

I want the forgiveness that Jesus offers. I believe in you, Jesus. I receive your forgiveness and salvation. And I receive you as king of my life. And so I encourage you to partake. Let's all partake with that mindset, with that heart. Receiving Jesus as savior and king. Amen. Well, let's worship the Lord together. Again, they're going to do two songs during...

These two songs, you have opportunity to partake, but let your heart be settled before the Lord. You are my king. Let's worship. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.