5 NOVEMBER 2006: NEW EACH DAY - How to avoid making Jesus trivial!

TOPIC: Jesus’ grandeur; majesty, awesomeness; splendor, wonder, glory, honor
TITLE: NEW EACH DAY - How to avoid making Jesus trivial! [adapted from Spurgeon‘s Morning & Evening November 5 – “Evening”]
TEXT: Psalm 100:4 (1-5)

Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How should we see Jesus in order to bless Him?
CONCISE OUTLINE: The text is straight forward and suggests …

I. WE SHOULD ENTER HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING

A. That is as a result of our salvation when we enter heaven
B. The gates of the Temple are seen
C. Three of them

1. The “eastern gate”
2. The “veil (doors) to the holy place”
3. The “veil to the Holy of Holies”

II. WE SHOULD ENTER HIS COURTS WITH PRAISE

A. That is as a result of our justification
B. Our sins are covered over
C. Three of them

1. The outer court which is open to the people
2. The inner court which is reserved for priests
3. The Holy court in front of the Ark, open to the High Priest
4. Jesus is our High Priest

III. WE SHOULD GIVE THANKS TO HIM

A. For He alone is deserving of thanks
B. We should come with an offering (not things but us)
C. And therefore “bless His name”

And blessed be His glorious name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.

Psalm 72:19

TRUTH/CONTEXT: The Father desires His people be filled with towering, exhilarating, and animating thoughts concerning His blessed Son.

And Jesus is not pleased with those who think commonly of Him; it is His pleasure that His Bride should be delighted with His grandeur. We’re not to consider Him as a necessity, like to bread or water, rather as a lush delicacy, as an exceptional and irresistible joy.

And so, to that end, He has revealed Himself as the only begotten, full of grace and glory, as the one and only Lamb of God in awesome innocence, and as the Bread of Life, with its life sustaining nourishment.

Spurgeon, on the other hand, has an unusual take on this verse …

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How should we see Jesus in order to bless Him?
EXPANDED OUTLINE:

I. WE SHOULD REMEMBER THE SON

A. the high esteem in which He is held in heaven
B. where perfection is the measure

II. WE SHOULD CONSIDER THE FATHER

A. how God, the Father, esteems His Only Begotten
B. His unspeakable gift of love to mankind.

III. WE SHOULD RECALL THE HOLY SPIRIT

A. how God, the Holy Spirit, rejects praise
B. in order that the Lord Jesus receives it all the glory

IV. WE SHOULD THINK OF THE ANGELS

A. how the angelic host esteems Him
B. to whom the highest honor is to veil their faces at His feet

V. WE SHOULD REFLECT ON THE SAINTS

A. And on how the blood-bought and blood-washed already in heaven esteem Him
B. as His high praises resound without end

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: George Matheson said,

Christ has illuminated the world, not by what He did, but by [who He is]; His life is the Light of Men.

We speak of a man's life-work; Jesus’ work was His life....

It’s good to be told the pure in heart shall see God, but the vision of heaven in a pure man's face outweighs it all.

[We’re told] Easter morning has revealed His glory; rather … say His glory has revealed … Easter morning. It’s not resurrection [which] has [empowered] Christ; it’s Christ [which] empowered resurrection.

To those who have seen His beauty, even [Golgotha adds] no certainty; the light of immortality is as bright on [on His crib, as on] His Cross [or] His Crown.

'I am the resurrection' are His own words about Himself - not 'I teach,' not 'I cause,' not 'I predict,' but 'I am.'" [2000+ Illustrations]

So, those of …

“you [who] are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, … you [are to] proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light …”

1 Peter 2:9

How are we to be able to do this? You cannot unless you know Him! So …

• Study Him as He is in His supernatural glory, before He took our nature upon Himself!
• Imagine Him responding to the love of His own sinless heart, as it drew Him from His throne to take your place upon the cross!
• Admire Him in time as well, as He conquered all the powers of Satan and hell!
• See Him raised, crowned, glorified, ascended, and soon coming!
• Bow before Him as the Wonderful, the Counselor, the mighty God, and the Risen Lamb of God … for only then will your love of Him be what the Great Commandment says it should be.
  

[SPURGEON] “High thoughts of Christ will enable us to act consistently with our relations towards Him. The more loftily we see Christ enthroned, and the lowlier we are when bowing before the foot of the throne, the more truly shall we be prepared to act our part towards Him. Our Lord Jesus desires us to think [majestically] of Him, that we may submit cheerfully to His authority. High thoughts of Him increase our love. Love and esteem go together.”

RELATED LINKS: The SHEEP'S CRIB

SPECIFIC TAGS: Praise, Isaiah, Jesus Christ,
Majesty, Psalms, Spurgeon, Thanksgiving

GENERAL TAGS: Homoletics, Preaching, Sermons