Matthew 21:1-13      Grab For Glory!

Rev. David Holwick  K

First Baptist Church

Ledgewood, New Jersey

March 25, 2018

                                                   Matthew 21:1-13


                      GRAB FOR GLORY!



  I. It's good to be on top.

      A. What is the most glory you have ever received?

          1) I remember my kindergarten graduation...

              a) No gowns or caps, but only a little rolled up diploma.

              b) We loved the attention, though, with a roomful of

                    parents with cameras.

          2) For others, it may have been walking down the aisle in

                your beautiful wedding dress.

              a) A dress you carefully saved, though you may never

                    actually fit in it again.

              b) You go through your wedding album and remember when

                    you were the focus of attention.


      B. Jesus had such a day once.

          1) As far as his local world was concerned, he was the center

                of attention.

          2) Jesus on top.

          3) Five days later, they killed him in the ultimate rejection.


      C. Glory is fleeting.

          1) One of the greatest war movies, "Patton," ends with

                General Patton meditating on the limits of our greatness:


             "For over a thousand years, Roman conquerors returning from

                the wars enjoyed the honor of a triumph -- a tumultuous

                   parade.

              In the procession came trumpeters, musicians and strange

                 animals from the conquered territories, together with

                    carts laden with treasure and captured armaments.


              The conqueror rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed

                 prisoners walking in chains before him.

              Sometimes his children, robed in white, stood with him in

                 the chariot, or rode the trace horses.


              A slave stood behind the conqueror, holding a golden crown,

                 and whispering in his ear a warning: That all glory

                   is fleeting."

                                                                   #66039


          2) Only God lasts.

              a) Will you have the glory that endures?


II. Glory can be good.

      A. God deserves glory and seeks it.

          1) Glory is an essential aspect of his nature.

              a) Hebrews 9:5 says, "Above the ark were the cherubim of

                    the Glory."  Glory is almost a nickname for God.

              b) Exodus 15:11 says, "Who is like you -- majestic in

                    holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?"

              c) God's glory glowed, as in the Shekinah cloud that

                    led the Israelites in the wilderness, and came down

                       on Mount Sinai - it looked like "a consuming fire."

              d) God's glory filled the temple on the day it was

                    dedicated, and the saddest day for the Jews was when

                       God's glory left the temple, according to Ezekiel.

          2) Our duty is to notice his glory, and praise him for it.


      B. God bestows glory on his people.

          1) Psalm 8 says God's glory is greater than the heavens, but

                he has crowned us with it.

          2) 2 Corinthians 3:18 says our face should reflect God's glory:


             "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's

                glory, are being transformed into his likeness with

                   ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord..."


              a) Our transformation is gradual - "ever-increasing" -

                    and tied to how much we reflect Jesus.

              b) Our final glory, on the day we stand in heaven, will

                    make all the rottenness we endured on earth seem

                       like nothing.                           2 Cor 4:17

          3) Do you see any of that glow in your pew-neighbor right now?

              a) Look closely...

              b) Tell them they need to work on it a little more.


      C. Don't go about getting glory the wrong way.

          1) Seeking glory for its own sake is a dead-end.

              a) This is what pride is all about.

              b) But it is acceptable to be proud of our accomplishments.

                  1> The Bible often talks about good pride.

          2) Pride should be based on reality.

              a) Paul was proud of the Corinthian Christians, in the way

                    they had selflessly supported his work.     2 Cor 7:4

              b) If our actions are pure, we can take pride in ourselves.

                  1> Take pride in what is real and in your heart, not

                        in superficial stuff.                  2 Cor 5:12

                  2> Galatians 6:4 says we should make sure we are

                        comparing ourselves with ourselves, not with

                           others.

                  3> Know that genuine pride comes from meeting God's

                        expectations for you, not the world's.

                      A> James says downtrodden people can take pride in

                            their high position.             James 1:9-10

                      B> Rich and powerful people have a low position -

                            they can take pride in that (facetiously).


III. This is a key to understand Palm Sunday.

      A. The people were excited to give glory to a conquering king.

          1) They wanted to be on the winning side.

          2) They expected a good chunk of that glory for themselves.


      B. Jesus was excited for a different reason - to fulfill God's plan.

          1) He acted with humility by riding on a donkey.

          2) He acted with integrity by immediately cleansing the temple.

              a) He saw true religion being corrupted and he did

                    something about it.

              b) It really burned him up to see God dishonored like this.

          3) Cleansing the temple did not create much human glory.

              a) Instead, it got his enemies all riled up.

              b) This is what inspired them to kill him.

              c) Jesus valued glory from God more than glory from men,

                    and he was willing to pay the price.

                  1> Many Christians are not willing.

                  2> We would rather be liked by everybody that to stand

                        up for what is right.


      C. Evangelicals have suffered a loss of this integrity.

          1) We used to demand moral integrity of leadership.

              a) We criticized leaders on all sides who sinned.

              b) Not any more.


                 As recently as 2011, white evangelicals were the least

                    likely of any religious group to say that personal

                       immorality was compatible with an ethical

                          political life.

                 Today, they are the MOST likely to affirm this.      [1]


          2) Have we become more realistic?

              a) You could argue that we are more realistic today, that

                    we know everyone has the proverbial "feet of clay."

                  1> But is that why we have changed our attitude?

                  2> I don't think so.

              b) Our moral indignation is reserved for those who

                    disagree with us.

                  1> Someone we like can do just about anything.

                  2> Our hypocrisy has been noticed by others.


IV. The world did not like Jesus's way.

      A. The people turned on him right away.

          1) Crowds that shouted "Hosanna!" on Sunday were shouting

                "Crucify him!" on Friday.

          2) Good Friday was filled with negatives:

              a) Agony of betrayal.

              b) Rejection by crowds.

              c) Humiliations at the trial.

              d) Pain of crucifixion.

          3) Jesus did not cave in to their expectations.

              a) He wanted a glory that would last.


      B. On Good Friday great things happened.

          1) Our sin was atoned for.

          2) Death was defeated, proved by Easter.

          3) The world thought Jesus was a failure, because they didn't

                understand what real glory was all about.


  V. How much glory do we have?

      A. For our church, in the eyes of the world, not much.

          1) Our glory days may be behind us.

              a) I am assessing the conclusion of my ministry.

                  1> Numbers are off in attendance and giving.

                  2> Everyone senses it, and it is not just us.

              b) One blogger says American Protestantism has 23 Easters

                    left before oblivion.

          2) It will be harder to get growth without huge changes.

              a) Maybe we need those throbbing rock bands and

                    20-year-old preachers.

              b) Or, we need to seek an authentic personal relationship

                    with God.

          3) God's glory among us can be subtle and hard to detect.

              a) It is not geared to what we notice.

                  1> What does God notice?

                  2> Genuinely changed lives.

              b) This glory does make itself known, but can hide a while.


      B. Our personal glory is known only to God.

          1) Glory is not a popularity contest.

              a) God is always looking at our heart, not our reputation.

              b) What does he see in YOUR heart?

                  1> Does he see faith that is strong enough to buck

                        the world?

                  2> Do you have a faith that seeks God and wants to

                        honor him?

          2) Our glory comes from reflecting Christ, not ourselves.


          Corrie ten Boom was Dutch Christian who hid Jews during WWII.

             She ended up in a concentration camp, but survived.

          When she wrote a book about her experiences, and the death of

             her sister in the camps, Corrie became very famous.

          She was one of the best-known Christians of the 1970s and '80s.


          In a press conference after she had been given an honorary

             degree, one of the reporters asked her if it was difficult

                remaining humble after hearing so much acclaim.

          She replied immediately,


             "Young man, when Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on Palm

                 Sunday on the back of a donkey,

              and everyone was waving palm branches and throwing

                 garments in the road and singing praises,

             do you think that for one moment it ever entered the head

                of that donkey that any of that was for him?"


          She continued, "If I can be the donkey on which Jesus Christ

             rides in his glory, I give him all the praise and all the

                honor."

                                                                   #29238


          We don't need the world's glory.  We need God.

             Do you know him?



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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:


[1]  Has Trump caused white Evangelicals to change their tune on morality?

        by William A. Galston, Brookings Institute, October 19, 2016;

        <link>.  See also "If character is irrelevant in politics,

        eventually the Church will be, too," by Russ Dean, March 20, 2018;

        <link>.


#29238  Palm Sunday's Praise Wasn't For the Donkey, by Jim White,

           Discipleship Journal #3, May-June 1981.


#66039  Glory Is Fleeting, quote from the movie Patton (20th Century

           Fox, 1970, screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H.

           North) found at Movie Quote Database, <link>.


These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be

downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html

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