The Presence of the Lord is Here - Mark 11:7-10

What is Worship

“Worship is an act that develops feelings for God, not a feeling for God that is expressed in an act of worship.”—Eugene Peterson

“For worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose—and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.”—William Temple

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is the Christian holiday that occurs on the Sunday before Easter. This celebration commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, mentioned in each of the four Gospels. Jesus entered the city knowing He would be tried and crucified and welcomed His fate to rise from the grave and save us from sin! Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the remembrance of Jesus' last days to the cross.

In many churches, Palm Sunday is observed by the blessing and sharing of palm branches symbolizing the branches placed in front of Christ as he entered into Jerusalem.

Let us praise God for sending His Son to earth, the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins, and our eternal life in Christ through faith.

“The Presence of Christ must be respected”

English Standard Version Chapter 11

7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.

In many churches, Palm Sunday is observed by the blessing and sharing of palm branches symbolizing the branches placed in front of Christ as he entered into Jerusalem disciples followed Jesus’ instructions so that Zechariah’s prophecy of Jesus riding on a colt in Zechariah 9:9. The point of importance was how the disciples placed their cloaks on the colt, recognizing and respecting Jesus’ divine nature and his claim of being the Messiah. “Worship suffers collectively when a lack of individual respect runs rampant throughout the congregation.” When Moses met “I AM” on the backside of the desert, the first thing God told Moses to do was “take off his sandals” because the place where he stood was holy ground (Exodus 3:5). “God does not speak, nor can you experience the fullness of worship without first getting undressed.”The disciples respected the presence of Christ as evident by their willingness to place their cloaks on the beast so that Jesus could ride. “What people do and give to you is based on their respect level for you.” People choose to speak negatively or positively about you. People choose to value your presence or not. People choose to respect or disres pect your privately or publicly. “Jesus’ response is determined by your respect level of him.” Do you respect God enough to respect his leaders and your fellow Christians? “The corporate worship experience is easily contaminated when you use the same disrespectful mouth to bless the name of God (James 3:9-12).

“The Presence of Christ requires a response”

English Standard Version Chapter 11

8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.

How can you come to worship empty handed (Deuteronomy 16:16-17)? Jesus is present and the best we can give him is a sense of entitlement and entertainment. There should be a tangible response to the presence of Christ. If you come to worship without something to offer, then you are just going Worship is not just emotionalism and excitement, but it is an intimate time between God and his people, but you can’t experience corporately what you do not experience privately. Let me put it this way, if a married couple does not show affection privately, then your public display is inauthentic. The worship experience in your private time prepares you for corporate worship, and when all God’s children get together, what a time we will have. As Jesus makes his way towards Jerusalem, the response did not begin when he made it to Jerusalem, the crowd began to respond through laying their cloaks and “leafy” branches on the ground in reverence and submission to the coming Messiah. The people responded to the presence of Christ through tangible means, and as Christians we must respond to the presence of Christ with tangible means. Worship brings a certain level of reverence and submission that creates moments for tangible presentations. It’s difficult to be present at worship, but provide no evidence that you’re actually in worship. The presence of Christ alone demands a response, and the lack of response is linked to a lack of respect for him.

The Presence of Christ creates a prophetic, celebratory praise.

English Standard Version Chapter 11

9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “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!”

Mark 1. The Entry into Jerusalem (11:1–11)

The quotation is from Ps 118:25–26. Psalm 118 is one of the “Hallel” (praise) psalms (104–106; 111–118; 135; 146–150). The second group, of which Ps 118 is the conclusion, was called the “Egyptian Hallel” because it praised God for the deliverance from Egypt. The psalms comprising it were sung at the Feast of Passover as well as at Pentecost, Tabernacles, and Dedication. This consideration increases the possibility that the entry took place soon before the Passover. “Hosanna” literally means save us, we pray and was originally a plea for help; but it later also became a shout of praise, as it is here. The statement “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” was originally directed to pilgrims as they approached the temple, but Mark no doubt wanted his readers/hearers to apply it to Jesus and to see him as the coming Messiah. Some evidence exists that the expression “he who comes” is a messianic title (cf. Gen 49:10). In v. 10 Jesus is not explicitly designated as the coming Davidic king. The kingdom and not the king is acclaimed. The implication that Jesus will establish the kingdom is, however, quite apparent

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem had been prophesied by Zechariah, and no doubt those attending the feast saw Jesus’ coming as the fulfillment of said prophecy. The Jews are under Roman control, and they longed for a militaristic leader like David to come and deliver them for Roman oppression. Rome was in charge of the people and the place where they worshipped (the temple). There were signs of Roman control everywhere, and no doubt they were present among those celebrating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The progression of their praise was two-fold: (1) they were pleading Jesus to help them, save them and (2) a shout of praise for the coming deliverer. Hosanna is an Aramaic phrase that literally means save us, we pray . Your perspective of Jesus determines how you will respond to Jesus. The crowd’s plea for salvation transition to shouts of praise as they saw Jesus as their deliverer from Roman oppression. There are times when you have to just “shout” for victory before the battle begins. The palm branches the crowd waved as Jesus rode through prophesied deliverance, salvation, and victory for those who believe.