01 - The Little Colt With A Big Call By Pastor Jeff Wickwire Notes

Mark 11:1-10 11 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; 2 and He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it.

3 And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.”

4 So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. 5 But some of those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, loosing the colt?”

6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.

8 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'

10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

As Jesus prepares to enter Jerusalem just one week before His crucifixion, several prophecies are about to be fulfilled.

One, that He would enter Jerusalem as God's anointed King, and second, that He would ride in on a donkey.

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey" (Zech. 9:9).

A donkey is an animal of peace in the Bible.

While kings, rulers and warriors rode in on their horse drawn chariots our Lord and Savior rode in on an animal of peace.

So, it is no accident that in Mark's account of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday, the COLT is central to the story.

Isn't it a powerful thought that just a few miles away awaited a donkey, a colt that had been prophesied of centuries before.....

....a colt that figured prominently in the greatest story ever told....

....a colt that had been placed there by the sovereign finger of God for a time, an hour, and an unprecedented purpose.

And I have to ask here, If God can have such a marvelous purpose for a beast of burden, does He not have in store something marvelous and incredible for you!!!

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Now, as the story unfolds, we see a beautiful step by step picture of our own salvation.

There are four key commands of Jesus that I want to focus on---Go, find, loose, and bring.

GO to a village opposite you, FIND the colt, LOOSE the colt, and BRING the colt to Me.

So let's start with the FIRST COMMAND...

GO to a village opposite you...

Jesus was all about "going."

I've always believed that God blesses moving targets!

It was as the 10 lepers "WENT" to the priests at Jesus' command to 'GO' that they were healed.

It was as the 70 "WENT" into the surrounding towns at Jesus command to 'GO' that miracles followed them.

The very first word In the Great Commission Jesus gave to His disciples just 5 chapters later is the command to "GO!"

"GO into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).

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Now, notice that He sent them to GO to a place that required some effort from the disciples...."Go into the village opposite you..."

What Jesus needed in order enter into Jerusalem was the COLT that waited.

But he wasn't found to be mere yards away from them....they must GO into a town further away.

It would take more effort, more time, more perseverance...

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And so it is with many of the divine 'GO's' in our own lives...

The visions and dreams God places in our own heart require a GO that takes effort, time, and perseverance...

Ecclesiastes says, "For a dream comes with much business and painful effort..." (Ecclesiastes 5:3).

And this is also true of our witnessing to others in our attempts to win them to Jesus.

That person God wants you to witness to will require your going a certain distance, exercising some patience, building some bridges, walking some miles...

Jesus said, "GO into all the world...." That's a long ways!

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Then Jesus said,

II. You will FIND....a colt

Not just any colt, but you will find MY colt!

The colt I have called for, the colt my heart is set on, the colt Zechariah saw!

Not only did Jesus know where he would be found, He also knew the condition the colt would be found in....TIED UP, BOUND...

You will find a colt that has life but no liberty.

He eats, he sleeps, he hears, and he sees, but he is not free.

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The picture painted for us here is easy to see...

Jesus sends us as His disciples to GO and to FIND people...

People who HIS heart is set on....Who have a calling and purpose....people whose destiny awaits hearing the GOOD NEWS!

The Bible says, "For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God planned ahead of time for us..." (Eph. 2:10)

Just like this donkey had a divine purpose foretold by the Prophets, WE TOO have a destiny prepared long ago by God....

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And yet our condition is always found to be bound up, tied up.....ALIVE but not FREE until we meet Jesus!

Listen to this description of how we are "tied up" before knowing Jesus:

"You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God" (2:2).

Jesus said, "You will find the colt TIED....

So Jesus sent the disciples to GO and to FIND a little colt with a big call...

...who would be FOUND but also BOUND.

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Then Jesus told them to do what Jesus likes doing best...

III. Loose it...

Now, the word Jesus used is λύσατε, which means much more than to simply untie something.

It is the word used to describe releasing someone from PRISON...or to actually DESTROY the yoke that binds...

It could read, "Release the colt from what binds him!"

In order for the colt to fulfill its destiny, it must first be set free....and so must we!

And the Good News is, that is what Jesus does best!

He said, "You shall know the truth...."

And He said, "So if the Son liberates you, then you are really and unquestionably free" (John 8:36).

Jesus sets us free, not by rehabilitation, nor by New Year Resolutions, nor by will power, but by His Power, spiritual power, Divine power!!

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Now, notice that at this point there is a protest from the owner...

"What are you doing, loosing the colt?"

Do you remember the passage we just read from Ephesians, how we were enslaved to another owner before knowing Jesus? The devil himself?

"You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world." (Eph. 2:2)

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This protest from the owner is the same kind of protest I personally experienced when I was first saved.....

...and the same protest I've seen the devil kick up when a person turns to Christ...

The devil is horrified when his enslaved subjects are loosed by the power of Jesus Christ!

Remember the Gadarene demoniac, and the ruckus the demons inside him kicked up when Jesus started to set him free?

"What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" they cried. (Mark 5:7)

Do you hear it? "What are you doing loosing my slave?"

And loose the donkey they did, and simply told the owner "The Lord has need of him."

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But notice with me, this newly redeemed and released donkey was not set free to just take off and kick up his heels and live any way he chose....

No, Jesus said next....

IV. Bring him to Me

This liberated colt was brought under the authority of the Lord Himself for His service....

We're told that the disciples placed their coats upon his back making a saddle for the Lord to sit upon.

If we really wanted to stretch the metaphor, we could say that the disciples first found him, then loosed him, then brought him to The Lord, and finally prepared him to be a vessel The Lord could use!

From there the colt’s purpose was to carry the Lord into the city and present Him as King of Kings, high and lifted up!

This little colt was set free to serve, liberated to be a vessel for the Lord's glory!

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Can you just imagine the scene!

This little colt that had been formerly enslaved, unknown, with no transcendent purpose or meaning in life, now finds himself in the epicenter of the greatest story ever told....

He is allowed of God to carry His only begotten Son into Jerusalem, fulfilling Bible prophecy and setting the stage for man's redemption!

And the steps he went through-----being found, set free, brought to Jesus, and prepared for His service-----beautifully pictures our story as well.

So I leave you with a Word today-----GO, FIND, LOOSE, BRING, and help us PREPARE those Jesus came to save!