THE KING MAKES
HIMSELF KNOWN
Mark 11:1-11
V:1. " As they approached Jerusalem
and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives ,
Jesus sent two of his disciples."
A. Before you plan a
trip, you should check to see if it is where Jesus would want you to
go.
1. Before you take
a trip you ought to seek the blessings of God.
2. There are all
kinds of dangers in our path that we need the protection, the guidance
and the
direction of the Lord.
3. Jesus is our
travel agency.
4. Jesus has all
the foreknowledge of what we will encounter on any trip.
5. Perhaps, if you
check with Jesus first, there are some trips you would not take.
B. Jesus and His
disciples were traveling to Jerusalem
to celebrate the passover feast.
1. He stopped at Bethany
about 1.5-2 miles from Jerusalem .
(Jerusalem =
the capital of Palestine , the
religious capital of Israel )
a. Bethphage
may have been at the peak of the Mount of Olives (orchard).
b. Bethphage
is at an elevation of 2600 feet which provides an excellent
view of
the Holy City
Bethphage= house of unripe figs
c. Bethany
was a little lower on the Mount of Olives
d. Bethany
was the village where Mary and Martha lived and the site of the tomb of
Lazarus.
e. Bethany
is also thought to be the place for the almshouse for the poor.
2. Jesus selected
two of His disciples to send ahead of Him to Jerusalem .
C. Why did Jesus
select two of His disciples?
1. I can only
suggest that by two witnesses a thing can be confirmed.
2. Maybe with
two and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, a cord is made strong.
3. Maybe the two
could support and comfort each other.
4. Maybe the
task ahead of them would require two men.
5. The only
truth that is relevant is Jesus sent two.
6. When Jesus
sends you out, you are on His mission and under His care.
V:2. " Saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of
you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one
has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here."
A. Jesus is
omniscience. He knows everything.
1. Jesus knew
that there would be a colt tied up.
2. Jesus knew
where the colt would be.
3. He knew the
condition of the colt.
4. Jesus knew the
colt would be tied with his mother. Mat 21:2
5. Jesus knew
that the colt and his mother would be available for His use.
B. Jesus knows the
future, so He knows what is ahead of us.
1. Jesus will
make available to us whatever we need to do His will.
2. When Jesus
sends us on a mission, He send us with His authority and His power.
3. The disciples
had the authority to untie the colt and it's mother and bring them
to Jesus.
4. Maybe one of
the reasons Jesus sent two disciples was because they were to bring
two animals
for His use.
C. We support the
mission of Jesus by being obedient to His commands.
1. We may not
know the reason God called us to do something, but we can be
sure that
it will work out for our benefit.
2. The two
disciples didn't ask Jesus "why", they immediately started their
journey to
do what Jesus
told them to do.
3. Perhaps Jesus chose a colt that had
never been broken, because He would not be
broken by
men.
a. When we
come to Jesus by faith, we are made new in Christ, never to be broken
by men or circumstances.
b. The colt
was loosed as we are loosed from the sins that binds us.
c. Before we
met Christ, we were tied up in our sins, but now we are free.
d. Jesus said
that we would know the truth and the truth would set us free. Jn 8:32
V:3. " If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?'
tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly."
A. Jesus knows the
thoughts and actions of men before they
think or act.
1. Jesus prepared
the hearts of men who don't know Him to serve Him.
2. When we are
doing the Lord's work, the Holy Spirit will guide our conversation
when we are
confronted by men. Mat 10:19
B. Jesus do not need
what we have, but we must allow Him to use what we have so that
the Father gets
the glory.
1. The Lord will
always return what we sacrifice for Him.
Mat 19:29
2. The Lord does
not just return what we give to Him, He multiplies the return.
V:4. " They went and found a colt outside in the
street, tied at a doorway."
A. In time, God will
confirm to us that His Word is the truth.
1. The two
disciples found the colt just as Jesus
said.
2. God does not always reveal everything
about His mission to us at one time.
3. He will in
His time confirm His mission to us.
B. Obedience is the
key to the success of any Church mission.
1. We have to
eliminate what we want, to do what God wants us to do.
2. It takes courage
to follow the commands of God, when you can't see the outcome
before you
act.
3. The just live by faith and not by sight.
4. In all things,
we should act on the council of the Lord.
V:5. " As they untied it, some people standing there
asked, "What are you doing, untying
the colt?"
A. It was the owners
of the colt and the ass who asked the disciples why they were
untying what
belong to them. Luke 19:33
1. Jesus knew
the owners of the colt would be present when His disciples
untied the
colt.
a. He
prepared the disciples with an answer to give the owners.
b. Jesus
prepared the hearts of the owners to accept His answer.
B. Your confidence in
Jesus will be tested.
1. People will
ask why you follow a Jesus that they can't see.
2. All we are
instructed to do is to proclaim the Word of Jesus.
3. The Word will
convict the hearts of man to do what Jesus ask.
4. The Word will
cause others to follow Jesus.
V:6. " They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the
people let them go. "
A. To be successful
in the ministry of Jesus Christ, you have to stand on His Word.
1. Our
conversation should be all about Jesus.
2. People in the
dark need a conversation with someone in the light.
B. Don't allow your
circumstances to cause you to stray from the Word of God.
1. Use your
circumstances to test the Word of God.
2. You
circumstances may be allowed for you to get closer to God.
V:7 "When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw
their cloaks over it, he sat on it."
A. Jesus didn't tell
His disciple why He needed the colt before they brought it to Him.
1. We will
eventually know the plan of God as we follow His commands.
2. Perhaps Jesus
discussed the purpose of the colt when they brought it to Him.
B. They honored Jesus
with their obedience and their substance.
1. They honored
Jesus by following His command to get the colt.
2. They honored
Jesus by placing their coats on the back of the colt for Him to ride.
C. The colt had
similar characteristics as Jesus.
1. The colt was
a lowly animal esteemed by his works.
2. Jesus came in
a lowly, humble form and is esteemed by what He has done for us.
a. He was
king but He allowed Himself to be treated as a criminal for our sakes.
B. Jesus rode on the
colt as the lowly King of the Jews.
1. He took off
His robe of glory, stepped down from Heaven to become the
shepherd of
mankind.
2. He took the
position of King by getting on the donkey.
a. The ride
to Jerusalem was a triumphal entry
as the anointed King and Savior.
b. The donkey
was considered an animal fit for a king to ride. 1 Kings 1:33
3. He and the
colt still low and humble began the journey to the cross.
4. Jerusalem
and the temple was a temporary stopping point.
V:8. " Many people spread their cloaks on the road,
while others spread branches they had cut in the fields."
A. When you get
excited about Jesus as your King, others will become excited.
1. Everybody at
some point in their lives seek the excitement of life.
2. Some people
need to be directed toward the excitement in Jesus.
3. Some people
need to be reminded of the excitement of having a relationship with
Jesus.
B. The world needs to
see you as the Church, serving Jesus.
1. The world
need to see you praising Jesus to know that they need to praise Jesus.
2. We are God's
ambassadors called to lead others to Jesus.
3. When the
crowd saw the disciples worshiping Jesus, they started worshipping
Jesus in
the same manner.
4. The crowd
made a carpet of branches cut from trees to worship Jesus.
5. All you got
to do is to start the worship and others will follow.
6. Some people
need to be led in the worship of the Lord.
7. God will always present you with an
opportunity to worship His Son.
V:9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
"Hosanna!" "Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord!"
A. Once the Church shows up for worship, others will come
and join in.
1. Some will
become leaders.
2. Others will be
followers.
3. Some will
bring new praise and worship songs.
4. Others will
add their voices to the new songs.
B. The Word
"Hosanna" means "save now".
1. Israel
was looking for a King to replace the Roman government.
2. Israel
want to have a king from the line of David to rule over them. John 6:15
3. Israel
was looking for the Messiah promised in Daniel 9:25:
"Know
therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment
to restore
and to build Jerusalem unto the
Messiah the prince shall be seven
weeks and
threescore and two weeks." (483 years). Three decrees were given
concerning
the rebuilding of the Temple , 2
Chronicles 36:22, Ezra 1:1-3, Ezra
6:3-8)
V:10 "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father
David!" "Hosanna in the highest!"
A. Jesus chose a
donkey to ride into Jerusalem to
fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9:
" Rejoice
greatly, O daughter of Zion : shout,
O daughter of Jerusalem ; behold thy
King cometh
unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly and riding upon an
an ass, and
upon a colt the foal of an ass."
B. In fulfilling the
prophecy of Zechariah, Jesus claimed Himself to be King of Israel
and the Messiah.
1. He again,
angered the religious authorities of Israel
which led to His trial and
crucifixion.
2. With the
crucifixion of Jesus on the cross, God's plan of redemption for man was
complete.
V:11. " Jesus entered Jerusalem
and went to the temple. He looked around at everything,
but since it was
already late, he went out to Bethany
with the Twelve. "
A. Jesus rode into Jerusalem
with much praise from His followers.
1. He made no attempt
to claim Jerusalem or the Temple
as belonging to Him.
2. He went into
the Temple looked around and then
went back out of the city.
B. Jesus probably was
not impressed with what He saw.
1. The Temple
was not His design; It had been modified by Herod.
2. The Temple
had become a house of commerce rather than a House of prayer.
3. The religious
leaders were involved in their traditions rather than the righteousness
of God.
4. He grieved for Israel
because they would reject Him in favor of their traditions.
C. Jesus came into
the city with much praise from many so called worshippers,
but left with
only the twelve.
1. True
worshipers of Jesus worship Him all the time, not just during Church
service.
2. True
worshipers of Jesus do not follow the crowd, they follow Jesus.
3. True
worshipers of Jesus are not moved by the emotions of the crowd, but by
a spirit of
gratefulness.
D. The Jews missed
Jesus, because He did not look like the king they expected.
1. Do not miss
out on life because God does not give you the answer in the form
fashion that
you seek.
2. God answers
prayer in His way and His time.
THANK GOD FOR JESUS, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR
Rev M. Mitchell, Asst Pastor of GMBC
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