“Praise
Him … Here We Go!”
A little
five-year-old girl had been attending the church kindergarten. Each day before
the children were dismissed, the teacher had them sing the Doxology, which the
little five-year-old loved to sing, but in her own words. “Praise God from
whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures, here we go!”—Christian
Parent[1]
Legend Of Origin Of Praise
There is an old
Jewish legend which says that, after God had created the world, He called the
angels to Him and asked them what they thought of it; and one of them said,
“One thing is lacking: the sound of praise to the Creator.” So God created
music, and it was heard in the whisper of the wind, and in the song of the
birds; and to man also was given the gift of song. And all down the ages this
gift of song has indeed proved a blessing to multitudes of souls. —Maritime
Baptist[2]
Scripture
Text:
Luke 19:28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to
Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the
Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 "Go to
the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied
there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone
asks you, `Why are you untying it?' tell him, `The Lord needs it.'" 32
Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As
they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying
the colt?" 34 They replied, "The Lord needs it." 35 They
brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As
he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 When he came near
the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of
disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles
they had seen: 38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the
Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39 Some of
the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your
disciples!" 40 "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep
quiet, the stones will cry out."
HOW
SHOULD WE HONOR THIS MAN, CHRIST Our King?
Show me the man
you honor and I will know what kind of man you are. Thomas Carlyle
I.
Honor Jesus with our Love:
Our love is seen in our obedience and devotion unto Him (vs.32).
The motivation is the relationship that we have with Him. Salvation is a man and to know salvation is to know the man
Jesus Christ in a relationship. Complete
submission unto His will, will bring great honor and praise unto His name.
Disciples were told to get colt. How
did they react? How would we
react? Would we make excuses?
Do we have time to do His will (Mat. 6:33).
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.
We must get our priorities straight.
Will you obey or make excuses?
How much do you Love Him how can you say you do?
How do you show you do? How does he know you do?
John the beloved disciple is the living example of the love He desires
us to give to Him. Because we
love Him, we honor Him. This
love, devotion, and commitment come from within.
II.
Honor Jesus with our Life:
Sacrifice unto Him (vs.35-36) These people honored Christ by sacrificing to
Him. They wanted to please the
Lord with a king's welcome. Do we
smooth the road or throw obstacles in the path of His work in the church?
Are we holding back? Each
part of body has a job. Are you filling yours?
Will you go out of your way to honor and please the king.
We honor and praise Him by working together. (vs.39)
The Pharisees were fault finders. Would you allow Christ to be your
Lord? If He is Savior, you'll
want Him to be Lord also. Don’t
become a fault finder, but a grace giver.
III.
Honor God with lips (vs.37-38)
A teacher was doing her best to
discredit the miracles of the Bible. She
said, "Take, for instance, the crossing of the Red Sea. We know this body
of water was only 6 inches deep." Immediately
from the back of the room came the remark, "Praise God for the
miracle!" Annoyed, the teacher asked, "What miracle?"
"Well," explained the boy, "the Lord must have drowned the
whole Egyptian army in just 6 inches of water!"
They
praised Jesus one day and crucified Him the next.
Do we do the same thing? Lip
praise is useless if not backed by life praise.
All God's creatures will praise. All
were (vs.40) created to honor God. Every
knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess.
Now or later. Will you
honor Christ by praising the Lord with your lips?
IV.
Honor God with our Legs. Go
where He wants you to go. Be who
He wants you to be. Make His way
smooth into the city gates of this world.
Don’t be a speed bump.
"Save now,
I beseech thee, O Lord," is essentially the meaning of
"Hosanna." The crowds were acknowledging Jesus as the promised
Messiah, the Son of David, and the "chief priests and scribes ... were
sore displeased" at this (Matthew 21:15). But this also had been
predicted in the Psalm: "The stone which the builders refused is become
the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in
our eyes" (Psalm 118:22-23).
Are the rocks
crying out in your place? Let all
creation sing his praise.
Invitation:
Do you love Jesus? Have
you honored or dishonored Him? Allow
Him to be Lord & Savior and
you will honor Him. Christian,
have you allowed Jesus to be your Lord as well
as your Savior? Honor
Jesus tonight. (Gal. 6:7-8; Phil.
2:9-11)
[1]Tan,
P. L. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : [A Treasury of
Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and
Christian Workers]. Garland TX: Bible Communications, 1996, c1979.
[2]Tan,
P. L. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : [A Treasury of
Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and
Christian Workers]. Garland TX: Bible Communications, 1996, c1979.