Markham Baptist Church Sermon


Markham Baptist Church 110 Church Street Markham ON L3P 2M4

Preached in Markham Baptist Church, April 4, 2004.

Matthew 21:1-11

WHY MAKE CHRIST KING OF OUR LIVES?

The story is told of a group of English authors who sat one day discussing what they would do if certain heroes of history were suddenly to enter the room. What would they do if Cicero, or Homer, or Dante, or Shakespeare were to appear before them, they asked each other in the course of their conversation. Finally someone asked, “What would you do if Jesus were to appear before us?” Charles Lamb, a poet in the late 1700s was part of the conversation. “If Shakespeare were to enter this room,” said Charles Lamb, “I would rise up and do him honour; but if Jesus Christ were to enter, I would fall down and give Him worship.”

Many of us here, if in the room with Charles Lamb at that time, would nod our heads in agreement and say, “Well put. That is the response that I would want to give and hope to give if Jesus were to walk into the room. I would fall down and give Him worship.”

But some would ask, “Why, Why kneel and worship Jesus?” And we quickly respond that we do it because we know in our hearts that Christ is King. We know that when we are in the presence of greatness we rise in respect; but the greatness of Jesus compels us to kneel in worship. For His greatness – while completely human is also awesomely divine. It is the epitome of all greatness therefore we give Him the title of greatness, of royalty, the title of King. And we seek to have Him reign in our lives.

But the questions persist, “Why do you make him King of your lives?” "Who is Jesus that He should be ruler of you Christians?”

Indeed, the responses to Christ are many and varied. There are a few who respond to Him not in worship but rejection. “Hosanna” was the cry of Palm Sunday, but the cry of rejection and hatred on Good Friday was “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.” And down through the ages to our very day there are those who reject Christ, clever men and women who do not hesitate to attack and deride Christianity and add their voice to the angry mob – “Crucify, Crucify.”

And our heart breaks for such people. “If they only knew” we think, “If they only knew who Christ is and submitted themselves to His gracious rule they would experience such life, and love and joy that they would wonder how they ever lived such a restricted dark life before."

Or there is the response of neutrality. This is the response of Pilate to Jesus. Pilate, you will remember, tried to free Jesus. He searched for an honorable way out of his predicament. He could prevent the crucifixion of Jesus but only at the cost of his career. And so instead of losing all the material possessions and worldly acclaim that he had gained he took water and washed his hands before the crowd saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”

And people in our day when asked if they believe in God many of them say, “Of course.” But ask them to give their lives to Him and they wash their hands and stay away from the church. It’s not that they are opposed to God but the aren’t for Him either. “I like to keep an open mind,” such people say.

But there is no neutral position when it comes to Christ. You are either for Him or against Him. Pilate said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood” as he washed his hands. He tried to keep a neutral position. But in keeping a neutral position he has shown himself guilty of Christ’s death. He was as guilty as everyone else, he is as guilty as I am for the death of Christ. You are either for Him or against Him, there is no neutral position.

If you are neutral then you are against Him. Do you remember how Jesus describes the church at Laodicea – neither hot nor cold, they are lukewarm. And as a result He will spew them out of His mouth. So many people are lukewarm in their attitude toward Christ – and they don’t realize they are against God.

Or there is the response of admiration. Here are the great crowds of Palm Sunday asking as Jesus rides into the city on the foal of a donkey, “Who is this?” (verse 10) And the response (verse 11), “This is Jesus, the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.” It is the response of admiration. “Here is the wonderful Prophet. We do admire him but he certainly is not one to whom we need to commit ourselves.”

But in the words of one preacher, Christ calls us not to flatter Him but to follow Him. To be sure there is much to admire in Christ. He was a great man. But He was so much more than a great man. Right, He was one of the world’s finest ethical teachers. Yes, I admire that in Christ but surely we must see that He is so much more. Yes, He is a wonderful teacher but He is a Saviour. Admiration must become adoration.

Much better than all of these responses is the response of adoration of devotion and commitment to Christ the King.

But the questioners persist – you haven’t answered the question yet, pastor – why should I give myself in worship and service to the King who is called Jesus Christ?

It is a question Matthew seeks to answer all through his gospel and particularly in our passage this morning so let me use our text as a basis for a personal answer.

I worship Jesus Christ and seek to make Him ruler of my life because He is the King whose knowledge is perfect. This passage speaks of Jesus’ perfect knowledge. We witness Him sending two of His disciples into a village; He tells them that they will find a donkey there which He will use to ride upon. He tells them how they are to respond if someone asks them why they are taking the donkey and as we read everything happens as he foretells. His knowledge is perfect.

When we get to thinking about Jesus’ perfect knowledge we get a bit goofy and think He possesses some sort of ESP and you can almost hear the Twilight Zone theme music as people talk about how Jesus could read minds and so on.

Or we go to the other extreme and seek to limit perfect knowledge saying that this is simply a lucky guess and that there is almost always a donkey tied up outside every village and town and Jesus knew this. It’s like saying go the house at the corner of Wootten Way and Church Street, and you’ll see a house there with a car in the driveway.

But the truth of Scripture is that Jesus, while fully man, is fully God and He has perfect knowledge. There is nothing hidden from Him, there is no thought kept from Him. He knew that Peter would deny him three times before the roster crowed. There are no secrets that can be kept from Him. He knew that the one who dipped His hand into the same bowl would betray Him. In private or public He is acquainted with all our ways. He is the King who knowledge is perfect.

The Psalmist puts it like this: “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:15,16)

It is because his knowledge is perfect that we Christians seek to live in such a way that honours him as King. Because His knowledge is perfect we seek to do nothing we would not like Christ to see, and say nothing we would not like Christ to hear; we think nothing that we would not like Christ to have us think. We seek to live and move and have our being with the continual thought that we are living in Christ’s presence now.

And so for those of you haven’t received Him as king, you need to understand that His knowledge is perfect. He is not limited in what He knows about you, yet He still loves you.

And for those of us who have received him as King then we need to realize that His knowledge is perfect. And so when he says to us, “Come to me all you who are weak and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) we need to believe that He can do that and knows how to give us rest. So often we go to God and ask Him to give us rest, but we don’t trust Him to give it to us. O, that we would realize that He knows us perfectly, He knows how to give us rest if we would but trust Him.

Or we go to Him and we say, “O God I need peace, my life is in such a turmoil, how am I going to find peace?” My friends, Jesus Christ said, “I will give you peace.” (John 14:27) We need to trust Him – He is the king whose knowledge is perfect, so He knows how to bring peace into our lives.

Or we think, “I wish that I was better at sharing my faith. I’m not good at it.” Do you know Jesus promises us, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17) And we say, “Is that how I share my faith? Simply follow Jesus? That seems so simple. Give me a program, a 10-step program.” But Jesus said, “Follow me.” Do what He says, and He will make us fishers of men. His knowledge is perfect, it will work.

I worship Him as King because His knowledge is perfect.

I worship Him as King because He is the King long-promised.

As we look back through the pages of Scripture we see again and again that God had promised the people as King – the prophet Isaiah describes Him and His kingdom.

“Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the almighty will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:7)

The prophet Jeremiah spoke these words of promise – “The days are coming declares the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land, (Jeremiah 23:5)

All of this was promised to God’s people and for centuries they longed for and searched for the promised King. Well you can imagine the eagerness with which the disciple Matthew wrote his gospel – you can imagine his delight as he had the great privilege of telling the world that the promised King had come in the person of Jesus Christ. This is the one the prophets wrote about says Matthew again, again and again. Look here is the one about whom the prophets foretold.

We are told here that our Lord’s coming into Jerusalem literally and exactly fulfilled the words of the prophet Zechariah: “your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey.”

This is one of the facts that grips the new Testament Church – that Jesus fulfills the word of God the nth degree. And so when they proclaim Christ to their Jewish brothers and sisters they boldly proclaim this is the King long promised through the prophets and the Holy Word of God.

Matthew especially is gripped by this fact as he points to Christ again and again as the fulfillment of all Messianic prophecies concerning his birth: "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet; “the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him, Immanuel which means God with us.’ " (Matthew 1:22)

Healing of the sick: "When evening came, many who were … this was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah …" (Matthew 8:17)

His speaking in parables: "Jesus spoke all these things …. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet. " (Matthew 13:35)

And finally His death – fulfilled all the words of Isaiah 53: "Surely as we look to the life of Jesus we are made to realize that here is the King long promised."

Why do we seek to make Christ King of our lives? He is the king who knowledge is perfect; He is the king long-promised and here’s the third reason: He is the king for the people.

To be sure this Jesus is the King of kings but He comes for the people identifying Himself with the people. Here is the one who receives sinners and eats with them. Here is the one who came not be served but to serve.

Even now as He openly proclaims His kingship we see that this is a pageant of poverty, lacking all the things usually associated with royalty and greatness. Instead of a great white steed of a conquering hero He rides upon the back of a donkey, a beast of burden. Instead of being welcomed with royal trumpets blaring the praises come from the lips of children. Instead of kingly flags waving in approval, palm branches and coats of the people welcome Him.

This is a parade of meekness, divested of all the things that humanity had for so long associated with kingship.

And I am so thankful for it. For here is the one whom I can approach, here is one that I need not fear because of His great power, here is one who does not seek distant and remote from His people but come comes to identify with my situation, my sins, to take my shame and be my Saviour.

Instead of separating Himself from us in His power He comes in the person of Jesus Christ and humbles Himself to be a servant, humbling Himself even in His kingly procession.

Henry Sloan Coffin once asked a group of Chinese pastors what intrigued them most about the New Testament. What was it about Jesus that really gripped you? Do you know what they said? His washing the disciples' feet. They couldn’t get over it.

And who of us can? As we realize that here is the King of King and Lord of Lords washing hot, perspiring feet? John 13 is one of my favorite chapters – to think that Jesus Christ the King would actually wash stinking feet! Do you think that Donald Trump would do such a thing? I mean, here is one who is greater than Donald Trump, who owns palaces, and wealth, who has power far beyond Donald Trump. Whose followers outnumber Donald Trump. Yet He is washing His disciples' feet, He comes riding in on a donkey. Donald Trump ride a donkey? Never!

But Jesus Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords comes riding on a donkey! And as you read the book of revelation you get a glimpse of the greatness of our Lord and you see Him in all His kingly power and authority and you ask – “This is the one who came riding on a donkey?” Yes! This is one you and I can worship, because He identifies with us, He is not distant in some celestial heavenly kingdom. He is one who came down with us and identified with us fully, so that our trials, our temptations – He identifies with them all!

He was one with us. As Paul put it in a daring sentence – "He who knew no sin was made sin." (2 Corinthians 5:21) That is the extent of his identification.

Let me ask you, if Jesus Christ was to enter the room right now what would you do? You can reject Him. You can remain neutral – but know that it is the same as rejection. You can admire.

But how much better – you could recognize His perfect knowledge, you could recognize Him the one who was long-promised, you could see in His face and eyes, from the marks in His hands, that here is one who identifies with you and knows you fully. And so, we will fall down and give Him worship, and service because He is the King.