Praise Him! Praise Him!

 ³⁵And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. ³⁶And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. ³⁷And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; ³⁸Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. ³⁹And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. ⁴⁰And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

-Luke 19:35-40 (KJV)

As we go through this week, I want us to look at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We're going to study some "highlights," if you will, of Jesus' last week on earth. Today, we're going to look at the Triumphal Entry, which we celebrate as Palm Sunday. 

As Jesus was coming into the city of Jerusalem, a great multitude of people were praising Him. Verse 37-38 says, "And when He was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest." People were praising Jesus, they began to worship God, because of the might works that Jesus had done among them. Imagine, in your mind, what the scene may have looked at. Multitudes of people praising and worshipping Him. Look at the words of their praise: "Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest." Blessed means "Worthy of worship; holy.*" So you could read this verse as "Worthy of worship, holy, the King that cometh in the name of the Lord." Jesus is worthy of our worship, He is Holy, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 17:14). Jesus brings peace in Heaven between a Holy God, and an unrighteous people. Through Him, through only Jesus, can we have peace with God. We must bring praise, and glory to Jesus, because He is the one worthy of worship, He is the Holy One sent from God, who brings peace with God through His selfless sacrifice. Amen! Glory! Hallelujah!

While the people were praising and glorifying Jesus, the religious leaders were leading them in worship, right? Verse 39 says, "And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples." They didn't like the "common" people praising God, they felt it was something of the devil. They wanted Jesus to rebuke them, to tell them not to praise Him any longer. In reality, I believe they were jealous. In fact, Jesus rebukes them in Matthew 23:7, "And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi." They Pharisees like to be the center of praise and attention. And when someone else stole their limelight, they were jealous. So they told Jesus to rebuke those who were praising Him. His response? Verse 40 says, "And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." I don't know about you, but I don't want any stone to cry out in praise and worship of Jesus instead of me. 

This day, let your praise ring out. Praise Jesus for something He's done in your life. Praise Him for the mighty works you've seen. After all, these multitudes were praising Him for what they had seen. He deserves our praise for what we've seen Him do in, through, and around our lives. If you need some help, maybe the words of this old Fanny Crosby Hymn may help.

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessèd Redeemer!
Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! hail Him! highest archangels in glory;
Strength and honor give to His holy Name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,
In His arms He carries them all day long:

Refrain

Praise Him! Praise Him!
Tell of His excellent greatness.
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Ever in joyful song!

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessèd Redeemer!
For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died.
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong.

Refrain

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessèd Redeemer!
Heav’nly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever.
Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King!
Christ is coming! over the world victorious,
Pow’r and glory unto the Lord belong.

Refrain