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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