MATTHEW 21:1-11

If you read the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah, you will encounter two different emphases or aspects of His Messiahship. First, you will see Him as King and Sovereign: Isaiah said, "There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:7 (NASB). But secondly, you will see Him as a Suffering Servant. Isaiah also said, "He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted." Isaiah 53:3-4 (NASB). Both refer to Jesus Christ who came as Suffering Servant and as Risen King. Throughout His ministry, people alternately tried to make Him King or to make Him suffer. In the text for today there is a blend of humility as He rides in on the donkey, and regality as people honor Him. There are three examples of people giving Him His due honor. Let's consider them and then follow suit. How may we honor Him as we ought?

1. OBEY HIM AS THE DISCIPLES DID: VV2, 6:
1. Jesus gave an order and the disciples went and did as Jesus directed them. That's characteristic of real disciples, that's just what true believers do. Concerning obedience to Jesus, there are two striking statements in the Gospels:
1. When Jesus was at the wedding feast, the wine supply dwindled. Mary, His mother, said to those in charge: "Whatever He says to you, do it!" John 2:5. Good plan of action: Whatever He says, do it!
2. In Luke 5:4, 5 Jesus told Peter, who had fished all night and caught nothing, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Peter said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but at Your bidding I will let down the nets." It may not make sense to you, but at His bidding, do it!
2. Obedient followers do not just do as they think logical or easy or best. Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven." Matthew 7:21. In keeping with that obedience, the disciples didn't:
1. Go to "Rent-A-Donkey!" They didn't say, "This guy may not want us to take his donkey! Do you know the penalty for Grand Theft Donkey?"
2. Procrastinate. There is no protest, "Man! Can't we do it later? We've got other plans at the moment!"
3. Check with the other disciples to see what they thought. There is no, "Jesus told us to go get this guy's donkey. Does that make sense to you? What do you think we should do?"
4. Substitute another plan. No, "Jesus, the donkey bit is a little ... well, you know! We brought this bicycle instead. It'll work just fine!"
3. The disciples went and did as Jesus directed them. That's how we honor Him as we ought!
1. It is not by fancy creedal statements but by simply doing as He commands.
2. It is not by lip service but by life.
3. It is not by talk but by walk.
4. It is not by pledge but by performance.
4. Charles Swindoll tells an imaginary account of an executive returning to his office after being away for several months. During his absence he wrote numerous letters of instruction. Finally he returned and was stunned by what he saw. Grass hadn't been cut and weeds were a mile high. A couple of windows were broken. The receptionist was sitting at her desk doing her nails, chomping a wad of gum and listening to rock music. Wastebaskets were overflowing, the carpet hadn't been vacuumed in weeks and nobody seemed concerned. He entered the office of his junior executive who was finishing a chess game with a sales manager. The office had been turned into a tv and recreation room. He spoke, "What in the world is going on, anyway?" "What do ya mean, Chuck?" "Well, just look at this place! Didn't you get any of my letters?" "Letters? Yeah, sure! We got lots of them! As a matter of fact, Chuck, we have had letter study every Friday night since you left. We have in depth discussion of what you wrote. Some of us have even memorized large portions of your letters. Great stuff in those letters, Chuck!" "Now let's see: you got my letters, you read them, you studied them, you discussed them, you memorized them. But what did you do about them?" "Do? Why, um, we didn't actually do anything, Chuck!" (Adapted from Improving Your Serve, Charles Swindoll). We honor Him by doing something about His word and it's called obeying it! But there is more. Consider the second example.

2. GIVE HIM WHAT HE ASKS AS THE OWNER OF THE DONKEYS DID: V3:
1. It's a strange statement when you stop to think about it: "The Lord has need of them!" The Lord has need of them? He Who owns the cattle on a thousand hills needed a couple of donkeys? "The Lord has need of them."
2. Jesus said, "Tell the man, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them." And as Jesus said, immediately the man sent his animals. That's how to honor Him as we ought: Give what He asks immediately. With the owner of the donkeys:
1. There was no hesitation: "Maybe I better ask the Missus to see if she's planning to use the beast today."
2. There was no refusal: "Maybe I have plans for the donkey today. Did your Master ever stop to think about that?"
3. There was no substitution: "I can't let you have the donkey, but my kid has one of those stick horses; you can use that!"
4. There was no grudging consent: "Okay, okay! Take the blasted beast and be gone! Let me walk where I need to go. Let me carry my own loads. Make it hard on me, but take the donkey, by all means!"
3. The secret of giving what He asks is revealed when we consider the Macedonians, some of the early Greeks. They begged Paul for the favor of giving to help poor Christians in Judea. Poor themselves, yet they wanted to give. Here's the secret: "they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God." 2 Corinthians 8:5.
1. What do you have that He asks? Time? Money? Transportation? Abilities? The Lord has need of them.
2. The Lord of Heaven has made Himself somewhat dependent upon you to get His work done.
3. First give yourself, then what you call your own will follow.
1. Do you truly belong to Him?
2. Do you recognize His priority in your life?
3. Do you willingly submit to His requests?
4. Let me illustrate. A man was gathering a shipment of food for the poor of Appalachia. Even children contributed to this cause by bringing food items to school. As the man was separating items into groups, he came upon a sack. It was a child's lunch. It consisted of a peanut butter sandwich, some cookies and an apple. On the sack was written, "Christie, Room 4." Further checking revealed that this little girl had given her lunch to help the poor because she believed Jesus wanted her to. That's how we honor Him as we ought: Give what He asks. But more is involved. Consider the third example.

3. PRAISE HIM AS THE CROWD DID: V9:
1. The crowds went ahead of Him and some followed shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" By their praises, they gave Him honor.
2. If you want to give Him proper honor, get in line with that crowd.
1. They declared their allegiance to Him. Have we?
2. They made it plain that they were on His side. Are we?
3. They spoke boldly their praise of Jesus. Do we?
3. We honor Him as we ought by praising Him. There are a number of ways we do that:
1. Telling Him "Thank You!"
2. Trusting Him in times of adversity and crisis.
3. Speaking His Name reverently to others.
4. Living consistent Christian lives.
5. Obeying Him gladly, quickly and willingly.
4. A faithful old saint lay dying. Her family gathered around her bed and her son asked, "Mom, what Scripture do you want me to read?" She answered, "Anything from the Bible is fine, but let it be praise! Let it be praise!" To honor Him as we ought, :"Let it be praise!"

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