Title: " A Portrait of the King "
Text: Matthew Chapter 21
INTRO:
I. The King's First Coming with a Chorus of Praise
21:1-11
A. There are Two "Comings" of Christ that are Spoken of in the
Bible, and This is the 1st .
John 1:10-12 c/f John 14:1-3 & Revelation 19:11-16
B. Notice the Lord's Apostles
Verse 1 -- " Sent " / Apostolos -- Sent Ones
1. There is an Office of an Apostle , and there is a Generic
Sense in which the Term may be Used to Refer to One
who is Sent by God with a Message to Proclaim or a Job
to Perform.
I Corinthians 12:28 c/f Matthew 21:1
2. In a Generic Sense We Too are Apostles ( or Sent Ones )
of the Lord with Both: a Message to Proclaim & a Job to Per-
form.
Mark 16:15 ; Matthew 28:18-20 ; John 15:16 ; & John 20:21
C. The Lord's Omniscience
Verse 2 -- " Ye Shall Find ..."
1. Jesus Knows All About Our Sufferings ( Our Troubles ).
2. Jesus Knows All About Our Service .
3. Jesus Knows All About Our Short Comings .
D. The Lord's Dependence
Verse 3 -- " The Lord Hath Need ..."
1. This is an Amazing Principle of the Scriptures that God
could Need ( or Make Himself Dependent Upon ) Anything.
2. The Lord Also Needs Us .
Romans 10:13-14 -- " How Shall they Hear ... ? "
3. What a Priviledge & Honor that God would Give Us an
Opportunity to Fulfill a Need of His in Our Lives.
Galatians 5:6 c/f Ephesians 2:10
4. God's Dependence Compels our Availability .
Isaiah 6:8
5. Many Times People are Less Available than these Don-
keys were to Fulfill the Will of God .
Ezekiel 22:30
E. Notice that the Lord Does Not Have to Ask "Pretty Please"
when He Wants to Use Something.
Verses 2-3 c/f Psalm 24:1
F. Notice the Immediate Submission & Surrender of the Don-
keys' Owners to the Will of God.
Verse 3 c/f Mark 11:5-6 & Luke 19:33
G. The Lord's Fulfillment of Prophecy
Verses 4-5
1. The Life of Jesus Christ in His First Coming was One
Prophetic Fulfillment After Another .
2. The Promises of God are Just as True & Sure of Fulfill-
ment in Jesus Christ Now as the Prophecies Were of His
Coming.
II Corinthians 1:20
H. A Portrait of True Discipleship
Verse 6 c/f John 10:27-28
I. The Presentation of the King to Israel
Verses 7-9
*** Notice the Fickleness of Man : From Hosanna to Crucify Him.
Verse 9 c/f Matthew 27:15-25
J. The Response of Jerusalem to the King's Coming
Verses 10-11 - They Did Not Recognize Him. c/f John 1:10-11
II. The King's Zealous Purging of the House of God
21:12-13
A. Jesus had Not Changed in His Message or His Zeal Toward
the House of God from the Beginning of His Ministry to the
Very End.
Verses 12-13 c/f John 2:14-17
B. The People were Still Not Listening to What God Said His
Purpose for the House of God was but were Still Using it for
their Own Purposes.
Verses 12-13 c/f John 2:14-17
III. The King's Grace Poured Out on a Purified Place of
Worship
21:14
A. The People Came to the Lord in the House of God, & He Met
their Needs there .
B. The Lord is Always willing to Meet People at the House of
God & Minister to their Needs there when the Place is Fit for
His Presence.
IV. The Protests of the King's Detractors & His Responses
to them
21:15-17
A. The Blind were Given Sight, yet Seeing Men were Blind to
what they Saw.
Verses 14-15 c/f II Corinthians 4:3-4
B. The Tragedy of Unbelief
Verse 15
1. Their Unbelief Blinded them to the Proof that God was
Working that Day in their Midst.
2. Their Unbelief Robbed them of the Joy that Faith Produced
in Others, & Filled them with Great Displeasure .
*** Is it Any Wonder Why Some People Leave a Church Service with
a Blessing & Joy while Others Leave with Miserable Displeasure
even Today ???
C. The Basis of the Detractors Protests
Verses 15-16 -- " Hearest Thou what these Say ? "
1. The Crowd was Crying HOSANNA to the Son of David.
2. The Word HOSANNA ,
a. Means : Save, we Pray.
b. It was a Short Prayer to Jehovah for Deliverance taken
from Psalm 118:25-26 .
c. It was an Acclamation of the People when they Marched
Around the Altar at the Feast of Tabernacles.
3. The Problem to the Detractors was that this Prayer to Je-
hovah was being Directed Toward Jesus as the Son of David,
who had Come in the Name of the Lord.
4. Since they Rejected the Deity of Jesus Christ, they Con-
sidered this Prayer to be - at best - Inappropriate & Misguided ,
& - at Worst - basically Blasphemy.
*** Their Believed Preconceptions got in the Way of their Having
Saving Faith .
D. The King's Two-fold Response
Verses 16-17
1. Jesus Verbally Responded to them with an Appeal to the
Scriptures .
2. Jesus Physically Responded to them by Walking Away
from them & Going to Bethany.
*** God Always Responds to Unbelief by Reminding People of What
He has Said & Walking Away & Withholding Further Blessing
for Another Place & Time .
V. The King's Object Lesson on Fruitlessness & Prayer
21:18-22
A. Concerning Fruitlessness :
1. The Lord Expects Fruit from a Tree He has Designed to
Bear it .
Verses 18-19 c/f John 15:16 & Proverbs 11:30
2. There will Come a Time of Visitation when God will Exam-
ine Us for Fruit in our Life .
Luke 13:1-9 c/f Isaiah 5:1-7; Matthew 21:33-43; Luke 16:1-2;
II Corinthians 5:9-10; & I Corinthians 3:10-15
3. Fruitlessness in Our Lives May Lead to a Loss of Oppor-
tunity because of Unfaithful Stewardship.
Luke 13:1-9 & Luke 16:1-2 ; Isaiah 5:1-7 & Matthew 21:33-43
B. Concerning Prayer :
Verses 19-22
1. Unwavering Faith is the Key Element to Getting Our
Prayers Answered.
Verses 19-21
2. The Only Limitation on the Effectiveness of Our Prayers
is the Limitation of Our Faith .
Verse 22 c/f Romans 10:17
3. Factors Involved we Need to Consider in Order to Under-
stand this Lesson on Prayer
a. The Miracle is the Result of the Word of God.
Verse 19
b. The Miracle was Within the Context of a Series of Lessons
God was Using to Communicate a Specific Message to
the Nation of Israel and His Own Disciples on the Subject
of Fruitlessness.
*** See the Whole Chapter 21.
c. Jesus Did Not Initiate the Works He Performed Nor the
Words He Spoke.
John 5:16-20 ; John 5:25-30, & 36 ; John 7:16-17 ;
John 8:28-29 ; John 9:1-4 ; John 10:32, & 37-38 ;
John 14:9-11 ; & John 17:1-8
d. The Miracle of the Withered Fig Tree was the Result of the
Will of God being Performed as a Work of God Through
the Instrumentality of Jesus Christ, the Word of God.
e. Jesus Says If we Have Faith & Doubt Not We Can Do
This Too.
f. This is the " Word of Faith " , and this is the " Prayer of
Faith."
g. A Prayer of Faith is Not a " Name it and Claim it " Pro-
position as an Initiator; it is a Responder to God.
I Kings 18:36-39 ; John 11:1-4 & 39-44 ; John 14:12-14
h. A Prayer of Faith is a Prayer to God that He Would Do
Something that He Has Stated He is Willing to Do , &
the Vast Majority of this Type of Prayers will be Based on
Faith that is Based Upon what God has Specifically Said
Already in His Word.
1. According to His Will -- I John 5:14-15
2. His Will is Revealed In His Word.
3. In the Name of Jesus -- John 14:12-14 & 16:23-24
4. The Name of Jesus IS the Word of God.
John 1:1-3 & 14 Revelation 19:11-16
i. Sometimes God Gives Us a Special "Rhema" or a Word
of Revelation that is Independent from His Written Word
& is Given to Us Directly by the Holy Spirit, but these are
Comparatively Rare & Should be Approached with Caution.
I Corinthians 2:9-16
VI. The King's Authority Questioned & His Unappreciated
Reply
21:23-46
A. An Inquiry Made & a Challenge Implied
Verse 23 -- A Question of Authority & Where it Came From
B. A Parrying Query & a Challenge Ignored
Verses 24 - 25a -- A Question of a Ministry's Origin & Where
John's Baptism Came From
C. A Quandry Confessed
Verses 25b - 27a -- " We Cannot Tell. "
D. An Answer Denied
Verses 27b -- " Neither Tell I You. "
E. A Double Parabled Reply
Verses 28-43
1. A Parable of Two Sons
Verses 28-32
2. A Parable of a Vineyard & Wicked Husbandmen
Verses 33-43
F. A Solemn Proclamation & Warning
Verse 44 -- Be Broken Before Me , or be Utterly Destroyed
By Me.
G. The Antagonists' Response
Verses 45-46
1. They Recognized Themselves in the Context of the Parable.
Verse 45
2. They Restrained Themselves from their Desired Revenge.
Verse 46