Palm Sunday (Morning Service)

Shawnee Bible Church Pastor Jon Gohdes Sunday April 5, 2020 “Who Is This King of Glory” I remember one time attending a conference where a pastor was speaking, and he had co-authored a book with another pastor who was much more well-known than he was. He chuckled as he commented that whenever they speak about their book, he is mostly remembered as “the other guy.” I ask you to open your copy of God’s Word to Psalm 24, which, due to its close proximity to the well-known and famous Psalm 23, may just feel a little bit like “the other guy.” We come to Psalm 24 because it’s Palm Sunday. Today begins what is called “holy week,” where the final events of Jesus’ life are commemorated: starting with his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and continuing on to his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, his betrayal and crucifixion, all culminating of course in his resurrection from the dead. Palm Sunday is so called because it commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem upon the back of a donkey, being heralded as the Messiah King of Israel by the crowds, all waiving palm branches. “Prior to [the triumphal entry], Jesus had refused to allow any public acknowledgement of His being the Messiah. By conducting His ministry outside Jerusalem, He had avoided further intensification of conflict with the Jewish religious leaders. Now, however, the time was at hand. The opponents of Jesus understood the strong messianic implications of… His entry into Jerusalem. The riding upon the colt, the garments and palm branches in the road, and the shouts of the multitude—all of these pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. When He was urged to quiet the people, Jesus replied, “If they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out!” (Luke 19:40). Ironically, although the triumphal entry was a public acceptance of Jesus being the Messiah and presented a direct challenge to His enemies, it must have been a disappointment to many of His followers. Christ did not enter Jerusalem upon a warhorse of conquest but upon a colt representing humility. …the religious leaders demanded His crucifixion, while the multitudes ultimately turned away with indifference.” (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1630). The significance of Palm Sunday is that Jesus openly and unquestionably presented himself to Israel as her long awaited Messiah and King. Matthew explicitly connects that fateful day with the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. The big question “up in the air” on that day in a bustling Jerusalem was how Israel, under its malicious religious leadership, was really going to respond to him! (John 1:9–11)! The same crowd (at least in part) that yelled “hallelujah” and “hosanna” would be crying out “crucify him” only a week later. What we’re going to be doing in Psalm 24 this morning is evaluating the events of Palm Sunday through the lens of an Old Testament Psalm of David. It is a Psalm that the religious leaders would have known—the very men who vehemently rejected their King of Glory and led the crowds to do the same. The original context for which Psalm 24 was written is ultimately unknown, but many scholars believe it is likely connected to the celebration when David brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem for the first time (2 Samuel 6). He had recently become king, conquered the last Canaanite stronghold, which was Jerusalem, and then made it his capital city. This was a day of triumph and celebration as David finally was able to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem! And here’s where we start to see the connection to Palm Sunday. This event was one where the ark of the covenant (the nation’s symbol of God’s presence) entered Jerusalem, whereas, the triumphal entry of Jesus was literally God’s presences entering Jerusalem. Just as Israel received and rejoiced over an ornate box that represented God’s presence but eventually disregarded him, generations later, they would again initially rejoice but then reject and disregarded God’s presence itself. It is within human nature to do such things. It is within our nature to easily relate to the things of God without relating to God himself. The Pharisees were the chief offenders in this. But we do this. It’s easy for us to respect the Bible without relating to the God of the Bible. It’s possible for us to respect the local church attending on Sundays, but we don’t relate to the God of the church in our homes. The constant struggle is that we easily maintain some kind of outward connection to God but secretly in our hearts we battle can actually battle to believe him and submit to him. (This will show up in relating to others—that’s why we have the church; our hearts become our own echo chamber). We dare not assume that we would have perfectly and easily received the King of Glory ourselves if we were in that dusty crowd at the gates of Jerusalem some 2000 years ago… Well, we must get on to Psalm 24. Its immediate context is the entry of the ark of the covenant, but we can see in it application for a much more triumphal entry yet in the future. Psalm 24 contains two pictures of receiving the King of Glory (as opposed to rejecting him!). Psalm 24:1–10 First picture of receiving the King of Glory is redemption (vv. 1–6) In vv. 1–2, God is extoled and praised as Creator. This takes us back to Gen 1–2. The King of Glory created our world and everything in it. This world belongs to him, along with everyone in it. This is the remarkable truth that God is ALMIGHTY. However, verse 3 shifts to a stark problem—humanity’s big problem. This correlates to Gen 3—to humanity’s moral fall and to the fact that God is HOLY. Not just anyone can “ascend to the hill of the Lord” and “stand in his holy place.” If average Americans have any thoughts of God at all, it’s more likely that they see him as maybe rejecting some really bad people from history or from some dark corner out there somewhere else. NO: the view here in Psalm 24 is that God’s holiness is a high hill which is not easy to ascend! This is first base in understanding humanity’s default relationship to God. He’s not a non-abrasive, non-confrontive doormat to be stepped over! Ironically this was something the Pharisees of Jesus’ day both understood and misunderstood. They understood that God’s holiness is real, that it is high, and it requires much—but they greatly erred in thinking that they could climb the hill! Ever since Genesis 3, humanity’s problem has been that none of us is able to be holy by our own effort. Men and women, boys and girls must be redeemed—we must be bought back from our first master, which is sin! This happens by means of genuine faith in God. Genuine faith in God is seen in “clean hands” and a “pure heart” (genuine faith in God is external and internal). This was the error of the Pharisee—when Jesus confronted that sorry bunch, his critique repeatedly was that they looked good on the outside, but inwardly their faith was fake! Clean dish/dirty inside (Matt 23:25–26) Impressive tomb/dirty inside (Matt 23:27–28) Ironically, the Pharisees of Jesus’ day saw him as a threat and unfit to enter the “holy place” in Jerusalem, but it was they who were unholy and unfit! The result of faith = verses 5–6 Sadly, this was not to characterize the majority of that generation that greeted Jesus on Palm Sunday (under their false and deceitful leadership). The first picture of receiving the King of Glory in Psalm 24 is a redemptive one: seeing the King for who he is, recognizing unholiness before him, and receiving from him in submissive faith. Second picture of receiving the King of Glory is rejoicing (vv. 7–10) After a break (“Selah”), the Psalm bursts out in a chorus of personified rejoicing and praise on the part of Jerusalem itself! This second “picture” of rejoicing only makes sense in light of the first picture of redemption! This has always been the case! God forgive us for the foolish things that we think we need more of in order to genuinely worship! If only we had more of the right music… If only we had a more current display of God’s power… If only we had more of the right ambiance… If only we had the right leader… If only we had more prosperity… If only we had more of what they have over there… There’s only one true “if only” when it comes to genuine worship of God, and it’s the matter of “if only” you have genuine faith—if only you have been redeemed! In biblical worship, we have more than enough reason to rejoice in our God for an eternity because he is our Redeemer! Look at what’s happening in this Psalm: Gates are lifting up their heads and ancient doors are being lifted up! This is figurative poetry obviously, but the point is that when this King of Glory comes through everything rejoices! At his triumphal entry, Jesus knew this full well Luke 19:40 Psalm 24:8 Psalm 24:10 Zechariah 9:9 Why is it that “stones” and “gates” are more genuinely responsive to God than people can be?? Why was it that the majority of first century Israel so miserably missed who it was that rode through her gates riding on a donkey? It all goes back verse 4, to the issue of clean hands, a pure heart, and a soul not full of falsehood. Rocks and gates don’t have problems with that. Human hearts do. Israel has not yet received Jesus as her King; but in the providence of God, her rejection of him at his first coming was as it should be, because only days after entering Jerusalem, Jesus would be hanging upon a cross, dying to pay the penalty for the sin of the world (yours and mine). If we look upon Psalm 24:3–4 with the whole context of Scripture in mind, we answer it a little differently. Who can only be truly described like this? Jesus. For us to have “clean hands” and a “pure heart” we must trust in Jesus’ clean hands and his pure heart. Then is verse 5 true of us. We conclude with a quote from W. S. Plumer: “Christ must be received (v. 7). This is indispensable. Not to welcome him is to reject him. Not to open the heart to him is to bar it against him. The way to make people true converts, true believers, true saints and inheritors of heaven is to receive Christ heartily, and honorably to cast up doors in hearty consent of faith and love, like triumphant arches, for welcoming so glorious a conqueror to be their guest. We must with full consent receive Christ (Rev 3:20).” Plumer, Geneva Commentaries: Psalms, 328 The question is, have you received this King of Glory?