Sermon Tone Analysis

*Crown Him King!*

 

 

 

*/Matthew/**/ 21:1/**/ through Matthew 21:17 (NIV)/*

1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her.

Untie them and bring them to me.

3If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

5          “Say to the Daughter of Zion,

        ‘See, your king comes to you,

        gentle and riding on a donkey,

        on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’

“

6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.

7They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.

8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

        “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

        “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

        “Hosanna in the highest!”

10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

12Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there.

He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.

13“It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’”

14The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.

15But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

16“Do you hear what these children are saying?”

they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

        “‘From the lips of children and infants

        you have ordained praise’ ?”

17And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

*1.

Credentials Recorded in Expectant  Prophecy.*

*        A.

The Word of God Validates*

*        B.

The Work of Christ Verifies*

        *king Arthur + the sword in the stone

*II.

Credentials Rehearsed  in Excited Praise*

*        A.

Red carpet*

Prepare The Way -- Here is one that did not ask for an entourage, but received one as a token of his office.

*        B.

Rejoicing*

                ***In Christian symbolism the palm has always been used to represent

joy, and especially that joy which comes from victory.

Doubtless

this symbol came into the church through the use mode of palm

branches by the Greek and Romans to celebrate their triumphs over

their enemies.

But to Christian the palm symbolizes victory over

self and the world.

The great multitude of the redeemed are

represented as standing before the Lamb, clothed with white robes

and with palms in their hands.

--- J. Burms

 ***A good Presbyterian minister of Old Scotland, of the staid and orthodox type, had a poor old woman in his congregation who was in the habit of saying, "Praise the Lord,"  "Amen," when anything particularly helpful was said,  This practice greatly disturbed the minister and one New Year's day he went to see her.  "Betty," he said, "I will make a bargain with you.

You call out, 'Praise the Lord' just when I get to the best part of my sermon and it upsets my thoughts.

Now if you will stop doing it all this year, I will give you a pair of wool blankets."

Betty was poor, and the offer of the blankets sounded good.

So she did her best to earn them.

Sunday after Sunday she kept quiet.

But one day a minister came to preach who was bubbling over with joy.

As he preached on the forgiveness of sin and all the blessings that follow, the vision of the blankets began to fade and fade, and the joys of salvation grew brighter and brighter.

At last Betty could stand it no longer and jumping up she cried, "Blankets or no blankets, Hallelujah!"

*III.

Credentials Revealed in Exercised Power*

*        A.

Authority*

*        B.

Ability*

*                ****In the years 1014-1035 there ruled over England a Danish king

named Canute.

King Canute tired of hearing his retainers

flatter him with extravagant praises of his greatness, power and

invincibility.

He ordered his chair to be set down on the

seashore, where he commanded the waves not to come in and wet

him.

No matter how forcefully he ordered the tide not to come

in, however, his order was not obeyed.

Soon the waves lapped

around his chair.

One historian tells us that, therefore, he

never wore his crown again, but hung it on a statue of the

crucified Christ.

***At a reception honoring musician Sir Robert Mayer on his 100th birthday, elderly British socialite Lady Diana Cooper fell into conversation with a friendly woman who seemed to know her well.

Lady Diana's failing eyesight prevented her from recognizing her fellow guest, until she peered more closely at the magnificent diamonds and realized she was talking to Queen Elizabeth!

Overcome with embarrassment, Lady Diana curtsied and stammered, "Ma'am, oh, ma'am, I'm sorry ma'am.

I didn't recognize you without your crown!"

   "It was so much Sir Robert's evening," the queen replied, "that I decided to leave it behind."

That's the kind of quiet humility Jesus would have applauded.

The queen could easily have grabbed the spotlight, but she willingly gave the place of honor to another.

*IV.

Credentials Rejected at an Expensive Price*

*        A.

Empty of Praise*

***In church last Sunday I noted a small child who was turning around smiling at everyone.

He wasn't gurgling, spitting, humming, tearing the hymnbooks apart, or rummaging through his mother's purse.

He was just smiling.

Suddenly his mother jerked him around, and in a stage whisper that everyone could hear, said, "Stop grinning.