Palm Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sermon Objective: There are three constants of worship illustrated in the worship scenes of the Bible; including Palm’s Sunday’s Triumphal Entry.
Rev. 4:1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." 9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
Rev. 5:6Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"
13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" 14The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Intro
The correlation between the Triumphal Entry and appearance of the Triumphant Lamb in Revelation 5 is interesting to me.
The obvious point of connection is worship. There is something happening when God’s people are in His presence and, even though the contexts are different, there are common experiences and behaviors in these scenes.
Some doubt the sincerity of the worship on that first Palm Sunday (I have too) but that need not be. There really is no evidence that the crowd following Jesus into Jerusalem is the same crowd that yelled “crucify him” later in the week. There were thousands and thousands of people in Jerusalem that Passover week and the possibility of this being two separate crowds is pretty strong – even logical.
I will focus today on a few “worship constants” that easily move between the Triumphal Entry and the Triumphant Lamb. In weeks to come (after Easter) we will look at other elements of worship found in The Revelation chapters 4 and 5. Specifically, we will look at elements and qualities that evoke worship; items like God’s Holiness and Awe / Wonder.
TODAY HOWEVER, WE WILL FOCUS ON THOSE WHO OFFER JESUS WORSHIP.
WORSHIP BEGINS WITH AN AWARENESS OF GOD. By awareness I do not mean just a cognitive understanding that he is present; but rather, dare I say, an “experiential awareness”?
Throughout Scripture the presence of God (in an experiential way) has drastically affected the behavior of people. It is rather consistent too. Read the accounts of Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Paul, or the Apostle John. And … even the crowd of this Sunday.
One has to wonder how His presence should affect you and me too. One has to wonder whether we are missing something in our Lord’s Day worship services if these elements are missing.
I digress.
I want to leave you this morning with three simple, somewhat superficial, expressions of worship. By superficial I do not mean shallow or insignificant but rather topical … that which we see on the surface. In the case of worship it depicts something much deeper happening underneath … in the heart.
Sermon
Worship begins with awareness that the Sovereign God is present.
At that moment we discover:
1. WE AREN’T THE CENTER OF ATTENTION
It is, for me, the over-arching reality that these worship scenes (and all true worship) have in common. The human (or created) participants are not the center of attention – Jesus Christ is.
When worship focus on the participants rather than Christ we are in danger of corrupting the worship experience.
When we walk away “wowed” by the music, the singing, the sermon, someone’s new dress, a new family, or cute children rather than sensing a deeper devotion to Jesus, and an encounter with His Spirit, then we have really missed an opportunity.
That is why it troubles some when we applaud after a special or something. It seems, to some that we are praising the participant. This need not be the case, for me it is much like an “amen”; but It does us good to examine our motives in everything we do in our corporate worship.
Personally, I thoroughly enjoy listening to our band and our vocal team. They are very good. And, I confess, there have been times when I have left thinking about David’s guitar skills or Becky’s vocal range instead of the encounter that God’s Spirit invited me to that morning. When this happens … well, then I just went to a Christian concert not a worship service.
I am not saying, you understand, that there is not a place for clapping or “Amen” or “Hallelujahs.” There is. It is also appropriate to encourage one another when we use our gifts to glorify God. But the participant’s talent should not be the focus of attention or even the most moving component of the event.
WHAT “WOWS” US IN GENUINE WORSHIP IS THE PRESENCE OF JESUS. IT MIGHT BE HIS WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT US, HIS GRACE, HIS MAJESTY, HIS LOVE, HIS HUMILITY, ETC. THE LIST IS ENDLESS. BUT THE CONSTANT IS THAT HE IS THE CENTER OF ATTENTION AND HE IS THE LINGERING REALITY. HE IS THE EXPERIENCE.
I wish to challenge each of you to give serious consideration to the place that Jesus holds in your worship experience. That is why we offer a 15 minutes window for contemplation and reflection prior to the service … to help you center your thoughts and meet with Him in prayer.
2. OUR WORLD ISN’T THE CENTER OF EXISTENCE
Worship begins with awareness that the Sovereign God is present. At that moment
we discover that we aren’t the center of attention.
We also discover our world (s) isn’t the center of existence.
The Kingdom of God is.
The truth is that each of us brings “our world” into the worship service when we come. We bring
• Life’s struggles and challenges
• The past week’s victories
• Our fears
• Our interpersonal issues
• Our expectations
• Our guilt and shame
• Our excitement
• Our future plans
• And much much more
There isn’t anything we can do about that. And I am not suggesting it should be otherwise. But worship, real worship in God’s presence, reframes our world.
• It points to a greater reality
• It points to that which lasts forever
• It challenges our allegiances and encourages us to be faithful to His Kingdom and its values
• It stirs us to be (and become) citizens of heaven first and foremost
• It reminds us that we are ambassadors of His Kingdom
In short, it gives us a clear picture of our King … our true King … and gives us clear reasons to serve Him and honor him.
WORSHIP DOES NOT MAKE YOUR WORLD AND ALL THAT IT CONTAINS GO AWAY. BUT REAL WORSHIP DOES PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE, SANCTIFIES YOUR PURPOSE FOR BEING HERE, AND THEN THRUSTS YOU RIGHT BACK OUT INTO THE WORK-A-DAY WITH NEW IDENTITY, NEW VALUES, AND AN RENEWED ENERGY.
And speaking of energy … an awareness of God also reveals that:
3. WE AREN’T THE SOURCE OF CONTROL AND STRENGTH
I find two verses from today’s readings particularly noteworthy.
Mt. 21:6-8 -- The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
Rev. 4:10 -- the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne.
I missed the significance at first but I am sure you see it.
• In both stories we see the authority of Christ taking precedence over human authority.
• In both cases we see a new or higher sphere of control.
• The worshipers surrender themselves to the Lord and King.
And that is what worship does … IT CALLS US TO RELINQUISH CONTROL. WE SURRENDER OUR WILL TO THE WILL OF GOD.
In every Biblical story I can think of the people who encountered the living God surrendered control. Some day all of humankind will.
Philippians 2:9-11 foretells what the Triumphal Entry and the Triumphant Lamb illustrate: Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NKJV)
The beautiful thing is that once we relinquish control we are given a reservoir of resources that flow straight from the presence of God. We discover life in Christ is a source of wisdom, strength, courage, patience, love, and whatever other need you require to enter back into “your world” and negotiate it successfully in Jesus’ name.
Isn’t God good to us!
Conclusion
So today we have taken a look at some of the surface dynamics of worship. We have discovered three constants which we will “experience” when we experience God’s presence.
1. We aren’t the center of attention
2. Our world isn’t the center of existence
3. We aren’t the source of strength and control
May I encourage you this week to take advantage of the opportunities that Holy
Week offers?
1. We have made available a daily “Holy Week” devotional for the family … take one home.
2. Spend a few extra minutes each day reflecting on Christ’s week and what happened that particular day.
• Sunday – Jesus the King (Matthew 21:1-11
• Monday – Jesus the Purifier (Mark 11:12-19)
• Tuesday – Jesus the Giver of Wisdom (Mark 12:1-43)
• Wednesday – Jesus the Betrayed (Luke 22:1-6)
• Thursday – Jesus the Passover Lamb (Luke 22:7-20)
• Friday – Jesus the Suffering Servant (John 19:1-26)
• Saturday – Jesus the liberator of the captive (Ephesians 4:7-10)
• Sunday – Jesus the victorious! (John 20:1-31)
Today, as we depart we will make the Passion Week personal. We will be given our traditional the opportunity to nail our names to the cross. Anna and Sarah will sing first.
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org