The Jewish people had awaited the arrival of God. And today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll helps us relive that spectacular study in contrast. Chuck titled his message, That's Who? Writing on a What?
Why? We are going back, get this, 500 years. 500 years before the moment recorded in Matthew 21, we go back to the writing prophet Zechariah chapter 9, verse 9.
Let's see what he says. Rejoice, O people of Zion, shout and triumph, O people of Jerusalem. Look, look at this, 500 years earlier.
Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey, riding on a donkey's colt. God, who has the full panoramic view of all of time and beyond, from eternity past to eternity future, has pinpointed the Zechariah 9 statement with the fulfillment of it in Matthew 21. So I just want you to see where it was written, Zechariah 9. So let's go back to Matthew 21, and Matthew runs ahead and says, this may look like it was a spontaneous moment.
It wasn't that at all. It was all part of the fulfillment of prophecy. Tell the people of Jerusalem, look, your king is coming to you. Sound familiar?
It's exactly what we read in Zechariah. Your king is coming to you. He's humble, riding on a donkey, riding on a donkey's colt. There's more.
Keep reading. The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. They brought the donkey and the colt to him, threw their garment over the colt, and he sat on it. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him.
Others, here's where Palm Sunday comes in, cut palms or cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. This was out of respect for the one coming. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting. Look at what they were shouting. This is a spontaneous shout.
Or was it? Look, praise God for the Son of David. Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Praise God in the highest heaven. Go back to the Psalms, way back to Psalm 118, verses 24 and 25, because that will be exactly what is being said by the crowd as Jesus enters on the donkey. Look at verse 24. This is the day the Lord is made. I'm reading from Psalm 118, 24. This is the day the Lord is made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
The reason I had you turn is because these are the words that are spoken by those who recognize him as he comes into the city. Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We will bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God shining upon us.
And further, it goes on. But I wanted you to see, Lord, save us. Hosanna! Hosanna!
We get our word hosanna from that. It means save now. In words familiar to every Jew, the author is indicating that at this very point, every Messianic expectation is now at the point of realization. It is clear from the words of the Psalm, shouted by the crowd, that Jesus is being proclaimed as Messianic King.
Praise God in highest heaven. This is a great moment. By the way, it's a courageous moment, for Jesus is wanted. He could have hidden out and come in some back road, but he doesn't.
He not only enters from the height of the Mount of Olives, he enters in a way that no one can miss. He's a man sitting on the back of the colt of a donkey. I'm going to pause here and let us take a breath and let me tell you, give you a page out of my own journal. I do that? I'm getting ready to go out and play sandlot football.
I must have been 11, 12 years old. And I'm running through the kitchen and my mother says, Charles, come here, I want to show you something. And I could kind of feel a mother's sermon coming on. And I didn't want to really sit through it or stand through it. I said, Mother, I can do it later when I come back.
She said, no, you're going to come here right now. I want to show you what the Lord gave me. And it has you in mind. I thought, oh, brother, what's this going to be? And I stood there and was kind of tossing the ball up in the air. She said, stand still and listen to me.
So I did. And she said, I've been reading in Proverbs. And I found the verse for you. And I thought, oh, brother, what verse is that going to be? She said it's Proverbs 18, 16. She had written it out on a little four by six card and she had taped it on the wall in front of the sink. It read, a man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men. I thought, that's great, mom.
Can I go? And she said, no, I'm going to tell you what this what the Lord has told me about this. She said, I believe that the Lord is going to use you in ways that we would never, ever guess. I thought, that's great, mom.
I hope he does. And are we through? She said, listen to me.
When you are older, you will realize that God is fulfilling this in your life. And she said, put her arms around me and she said, I want you to know I'm claiming this for you. Time passed. I got out of school and wound up going to the Marine Corps. All of you know. Well, I got married. Almost forgot.
We got married and we married really young. And in those days when you finished school, you had a military obligation. So I wound up, of all things, going to the island of Okinawa. And here I am in the Marine Corps, eight thousand miles from home, not even thinking about that verse.
And through a series of very interesting events, I wind up in the third division band. And it allows me some free time where I am able to be mentored by a representative from the Navigators, which is a real benefit in my growing up as a Christian. And then as I finish my time in the Corps, I say to my mentor, I think God may be leading me into ministry.
Can you believe that? And he said, of course. I said, I think I might even, even though I'm not qualified, I think I might even try to go to Dallas Seminary. And so I wasn't qualified to go there.
I didn't have all the, you know, great academic background to do that. So I applied and I remember Cynthia and I were sitting in front of Dr. Campbell in his office as a registrar. He said, we're going to accept you on on probation. And I thought, that's fantastic.
I'll do anything. Man, probation sounded good to me. And I started. And amazingly, remember the grace of God, I did fairly well.
And I got through first year and it took me a little bit of probation. And then I, in the middle of my four years there, I had the privilege of being mentored by Ray Stedman, not in Palo Alto, California, another period of growth and learning. We had babies in the process of time there. And I served alongside Dr. Pentecost as an assistant pastor for a while. And then I go to New England.
I'm there, a little church. And then I come to Irving and I'm there and wind up ultimately going to California. I'm almost through with this.
So bear with me. And every place, little by little, I'm witnessing the grace of God in my life. So while in California, of all things, though I never dreamed I would ever do it, I wrote a little book. And of all things, it got published. And there were a few people who wanted to read it. And that's what an author likes, is to have people read what you write. And then they want to know if I'd write another one. I thought I've already written. Isn't that enough?
They said no. And I learned that publishers have an insatiable habit. And that's, they want more. And I began to write more.
And then we went on the radio. And before long, God was blessing the socks off of me. And I mean to tell you, remember my roots?
Remember this background? All of this is a surprise to me. None of this is choreographed by me. My life is not the fulfillment of some great dream.
My life is one surprise after another to this day. Well, in the middle of all of this, I get invited to a very special gathering by the Christian Embassy in Washington, D.C. And I'd been invited before, but this group was going to be different. There was a large number of higher ranking officers from the Pentagon.
We're talking colonels and generals. There was a group of ambassadors with their families. There would be statesmen and women. There was even a cabinet member that came.
This was in the Reagan era. And of all things, they had asked me to speak. And Bill and Bonette Bright were there.
They had started Christian Embassy. And I realized there were going to be about 800 people or more in this gathering of great men and women. And that afternoon, as I am going through my Bible, thinking through what I want to say that night, I come across Proverbs 1860 that is circled. And by now, my mother's dead. But her words live on. And I suddenly realize, as this chill goes up my back, that I am living the fulfillment of what she had claimed. A statement that had been given to me when I wasn't even interested and thought I would never, ever care about it. I am now living it.
I'm telling you all of this to say, each one of us is engaged in life. And there are those moments where God brings about a fulfillment of something he has planned for years for us. And how great it is when we pause and give him thanks and praise for what he has done. And I remember standing up and I had to kind of choke back the tears as I got started thinking, who am I to talk to these great men and women? And I realize I am a recipient of God's grace.
That's what I am. Now in Jesus' case, he is the fulfillment of the prophecy. And as he comes into the city, there were those who must have thought, this is it. This is the moment we've read this in the prophet's writings. We have read this from the psalm. There it is.
This is happening. There were some who said this, but not all. Look at the response for the entire city. Verse 10 of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered and some said, who is this? Some didn't have a clue. And the crowds replied, this is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth in Galilee. They could identify where he's from. They knew of him. They weren't necessarily believers in him. They said, this is a prophet. You've heard of him.
He's been traveling all over. But much of it they didn't get. And these praises are coming spontaneously from the crowd. And they're praising the son of David and praising God for the son and giving him the messianic title, if you will. Well, let me tell you who knew what they were talking about.
And they hated it. Turn from here to Luke chapter 19. Luke 19.
Okay? Let me show you who they were. Luke 19, 39. Some of the Pharisees, these are the people who put his face in the post office. These are the ones who hate him, who want to see him on a cross.
They want to see him dead. The last thing they want is for him to be extolled as the Messiah. Some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, teacher, the word is rabbi. Rabbi, rebuke your followers for saying things like that.
They're declaring your Messiah. Tell him to be quiet. And look at Jesus respond. This is one of his great in-your-face moments. I love moments like this where he puts them in their place. He replies, boy, if they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into chairs.
The rocks would sing out. It's the first reference to a rock concert right here in the Gospel of Luke. Verse 39, verse 40.
He says, I can't silence them. This is exactly as God planned it. The Pharisees are again put in their place. Now back to Matthew 21 and we're through. Where are you in this? Where are you in that crowd? Are you putting a garment on the colt as a close follower of Jesus? By the way, do the people you work with know how close you follow Jesus?
That's where the rubber meets the road. Are you in that group? Are you like those who lie in the street and today say, you're the one, but if you check the record, you go all the way to Matthew 27, you find they're the same ones who later said, crucify him. Crucify him.
Fickle crowd that they are. Perhaps you're like those who ask, who is he? Who is this Jesus I keep hearing about?
Maybe that's what drew you to this place at this time. Or to be blunt about it, you may be like the Pharisees. You may find yourself rather cynical saying, he's not who they claimed he was. You've been taught otherwise.
But the truth is he is. There is one and only one response that is appropriate to the one who has come to conquer our lives and that is surrender. It's the one response that does not come naturally to any of us. Because we were all taught to fight our way through life, to defend ourselves, to take charge. He comes on the back of a colt in this lowly manner, especially to those of us who are strong of heart, how necessary it is.
I checked Webster's and surrender means to relinquish possession or control of to another as a result of demand or compulsion. That's my message to all of us. If you learn nothing else, I hope you will learn the value of relinquishing control of your personal life.
This is what my mother wanted me to learn and it took me half a lifetime to discover it. God has a plan is to use you in ways that you could not even guess and would never have expected. But when you surrender to his plan, he will take you to places you would never dream and use you in ways you could never, ever predict. I'd like us to bow together before I pray. I speak to you who are in need of surrendering. There's an old song, all to Jesus I surrender, all to him I freely give. When we speak of coming to know Christ, we're talking about that and I urge you to do that right now.
There's never been a time in your life where you have told the Lord Jesus Christ, I want you to take over my life, now's the time to do that. There's much to learn but this is the place to begin. When you learn it here, it's amazing what it will do to you or for you as a man, as a woman, as a father or mother, as an employee, as a CEO, as a friend, trust in the Lord Jesus Christ right now.
You will begin to know dimensions of life you have never discovered before. You're surrounded by people who could give you their story and tell you about it. We'd love to help you with that journey if we can in any way.
Please ask us to do that. Thank you, Father, for the privilege of entering into a scene that seems so remote to us today. We simply don't see such humility.
We don't witness it among the great leaders that often. We're around pride and arrogance so much we began to take that for granted. But show us today, Lord, the value of humbling ourselves before the mighty hand of our Heavenly Father that you may exalt us whenever you please and however you please. Thank you, Father, for taking over our lives at those points when we least expected you to do so. Thank you for the gracious way you have led us, often in spite of ourselves and sometimes against our own wishes. Thank you for breaking us and leaving us in a place of such need so that we surrender naturally. Today is that day.
Help those who need to do that to do so. I commit each one to you now. In the precious name of Jesus, our Master, our Savior. Amen. With his closing invitation and prayer, Chuck Swindoll wraps up a three-day study in Matthew chapter 21. This is Insight for Living. Chuck titled his message with three very brief questions. That's who?
Writing on a what? Why? And to discover the variety of resources we have available for today's topic, please visit us online at insightworld.org. It's possible that today's program has motivated you to make some changes in your life.
And if you've made a decision to trust Christ as your Lord and Savior for the first time today or you've simply made a decision to pursue Christ in new and meaningful ways, I'd like to point you to a free resource that will guide you. Insight for Living produces a daily devotional that's sent by email. Chuck's down-to-earth writings cover a variety of everyday issues to help you live above the daily grind of life. And you're invited to receive the free devotional email from Chuck by following the simple instructions at insight.org slash devotional. And then you often hear us say that Insight for Living is made possible through the voluntary contributions from our monthly companions and all those who give one-time donations. Well, in recent months, we've been pleased to add new members to our team because these new friends understand the impact of their investment in Insight for Living. As a result of the steady support from our monthly companions, we're empowered to touch more and more people through the daily program and the wide variety of resources made available to anyone who wants to know more about God and the Bible. Perhaps today is the day you'll become a monthly companion. In this role, God will use your gift to help us reach a hurting world with His compassion, truth, and grace. Sign up online at insight.org slash monthly companion or call us.
If you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888. And to give a one-time donation today, go online to insight.org. You've heard him teach about the Holy Land using word pictures to make us feel like we're actually strolling through the old city. Learning about Jerusalem is fascinating for sure, but seeing the land of Israel with your own eyes is life-changing.
In fact, it's absolutely magnificent. And now you can see Israel with Chuck Swindoll and the gracious hosts and experts assembled by Insight for Living Ministries. Join us on an unforgettable 12-day tour, March 6th through 17th, 2022. At special sites along the way, I will teach from God's Word. We'll worship at the Mount of Beatitudes and share the Lord's Table at the Garden Tomb. In fact, we'll sail the Sea of Galilee together, and we'll visit places where Jesus walked and talked.
To learn more, call 1-888-447-0444. Just imagine walking along those sacred sites and seeing the Bible come to life before your very eyes. Mark your calendar for March 6th through 17th, 2022. And make your reservation by calling 1-888-447-0444 or go to insight.org slash events. Insight for Living Ministries' tour to Israel is paid for and made possible by only those who choose to attend. I'm Wayne Shepard, sitting in from my friend Dave Spiker. Join us again tomorrow when Chuck Swindoll describes the moment when Jesus lowered the boom, Wednesday on Insight for Living. The preceding message, That's Who? Writing on a What? Why? was copyrighted in 2017 and 2019, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2019 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.
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