Experience TRUTH - #13

Hey, this is Mike Zwick from If Not For God Podcast, our show.

Stories of hopelessness turned into hope. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it.

Share it. But most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. This is Jesus. I'm welcoming you, and all of Jerusalem, the holy city, welcomed the King of Kings. They had no idea who he was.

I believe some of them did. And Robbie's going to read the passage like we do every week, and then we've got some questions to work our way through as we continue our journey in the book of Luke. Today it's Luke 19, verses 28 through 40. Now, when he said this, he went on ahead going up to Jerusalem, and it came to pass when he drew near Bethphage and Bethany at the mount called Olivet. He sent two of his disciples saying, go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you'll find a colt tied on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here.

And if anyone asks you, why are you losing it? Thus you shall say to him, because the Lord has need of it. So those who were sent went their way and found it just as he had said to them. But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, why are you loosing the colt? And they said, the Lord has need of him. Then they brought him to Jesus, and they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. And as he went, many spread their clothes on the road. Then, as he was now drawing near to the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying, blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees called to him from the crowd, teacher rebuke your disciples. But he answered them and said to them, I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out. Wow.

That's the word of God. What a climactic moment. Robbie asked his first question because it takes us right into the context of what's happening in our study of Luke. So what brought such a large crowd leading up to Palm Sunday? Wow.

So what is happening here? This is a huge event. This is the Super Bowl week for all of Judaism. This is where pilgrims from all over the world will pilgrimage to this area. We have, Luke 951 is really the point that launches Jesus on his journey toward Jerusalem. He's come through Jericho.

He's come through these other areas, neighboring areas. We call it Palm Sunday. It's the launch of Passover week. It's also the first day of the lamb selection process. And we know from Exodus 12, God is very particular about these lambs.

Male, firstborn, without blemish, no breaks, no hemorrhages, no diseases. Usually from Bethlehem. Usually from Bethlehem, that's right, that's where they kept them. It's interesting. That's where this lamb started, right?

Yeah. Born in Bethlehem to fulfill all those prophecies. The city of David, the city of bread. Verse 28, he's just told, it says he's going up to Jerusalem. He's just told this profound parable about what a faithful servant looks like, which we talked about last time.

And he's talked about that. Now he's going up to Jerusalem to perform the most faithful act of servitude and the greatest act of redemption that's ever happened. This is a high point, a climactic point in Christ's ministry. It kicks off the Passover, it kicks off Passion Week. Think about all those things that go on in Passion Week as Christ is going to enter the city, drive out a bunch of folks. He's going to teach there, set up camp. He's going to duel with all the Herodians and the scribes, the Pharisees, religious rulers, the Sanhedrin.

They're all there. You're talking about 20 miles from Jericho, and it says going up because the journey to Jerusalem would be about a 4,000 foot incline. Now that's not 4,000 feet straight up like you think of a mountain face, but about a 4,000 foot incline over all those miles coming up from Jerusalem and through Bethpage. Verse 29 talks about, he drew near to Bethpage and Bethany at the mountain called Olivet. And that's when he sent out two of his disciples.

So Bethpage and Bethany were neighboring towns about two miles outside of Holy City. They're going up the hill. Yeah, I think my ears are popping. Trying to get regulated, right?

Trying to figure out, you know, to breathe a little harder, right? But they had special psalms that they sang, like they were halels that they would sing this time of year as they actually ascended to the temple. It was a big deal.

Big deal. And it's coming in, you know, Mount of Olivet and coming down up and then down into the city. So Christ has raised Lazarus from the dead.

Where did that happen? It happened in Bethany. That miracle is still fresh on everyone's mind. You know, He passes through Jericho and heals the blind beggar, has all these awesome things happen, and then the wee little man he met and changed his life. It could be that all these people that saw these miracles from the resurrection of Lazarus to all these other things are clamoring to Him, and there's an excitement in there. But what does Jesus do, you know, before all this fanfare and all the greetings and everything? What does He do? He sends out two disciples.

Really interesting. To steal a donkey. I mean, this is kind of scary if you're one of the disciples, because you would get hung. I mean, you're a horse thief here, and you're being told to go be a horse thief, and you're like, now, exactly why are these people going to let me steal their donkey? But, you know, obviously they weren't stealing it. They were actually doing what God had planned for centuries and centuries.

Read this question here, because this question, and then I want you to keep going on what you're saying, because you walked right into my trap. So how do we see God's perfect hand of prophecy and providence at work here? Yeah, so it's all, you know, it's interesting too, and none of the questions point to this, but He sends out two disciples.

This is a theme, you know, in early on Luke 9 and Luke 10, He sends out the disciples, but He sends them in pairs, two by two. I love having you right next to me when I'm teaching through this, Robbie, because it's cool, because I miss a lot of things, and you make sure, you know, you bring it in, then you add a lot of things, but there's a cool thing. When I would go soul winning, and to this day when I share Christ with people, I love having a younger man with me, or one of my kids, or, you know, my wife, because while they're sharing the Gospel, I'm praying. While I'm sharing the Gospel, she's praying.

I was in New York recently. We were in the cab of a really nice man, a Muslim man from somewhere in Africa, and I had lost my voice. And you know who shares the Gospel with this Muslim gentleman who is very gracious, and she did a masterful job, and I'm dying because, you know, this is what I love to do. My wife!

My wife, Julie, just shares the Gospel. And I'm sitting there thinking, well, Lord, I can't really talk. I can grunt, you know, I can clap, you know, I can make other noises, but my voice is shot.

I can try to whisper in her ear in a real, you know, scratchy way. But I prayed. I said, Lord, work in this guy's heart, and keep using her, and help her. And he would say things like, well, we all go to, you know, one mountain, we all go up the same way, and Islam is just another way. And my wife would say, well, now Jesus is the only way, and look at, you know, how do you deal with what He did?

I mean, she was doing great, but having two people there. And so, in sending disciples out to share the Gospel, to spread the Kingdom, but even to go gather the vehicle, which He would ride into the city, this great triumphal entry, He sends them out in pairs, two by two. But, you know, these two guys, and they're going out to find a cult, and it's interesting, because this cult... Now, the question you asked was about the providence of God.

So, He sends two out. In the prophecy, there's a whole lot of prophecy about Him riding a cult like this that had never been, you know, ridden or broken. Additionally, we're going to see now, we don't know the name of the cult.

We don't know the name of the person that gave it to Him. We don't know the name of the water jar carrier, who they're going to meet up with. He's going to send more disciples out to meet up with a water jar carrier to go to an unnamed room, owned by an unnamed landlord.

They're also going to use that person's unnamed garden. And so, we're going to see a series of God's providence working, just through... and, you know, prophecies fulfilled, but just in some of the menial things. But God's at work, Robbie, in some of the details. We try to think the devil's in the details. He's not. Almighty God's sovereignty is in the details, right, Robbie?

Nothing has it by chance. Yeah, and just think what it meant for these two guys. I mean, they probably never, ever, you know, this is something they couldn't possibly forget. That, like, man, you know, we just think they just went and got a donkey. But, I mean, they'd be like going and getting somebody's car that's sitting at the curb, like, oh, you left your keys in it.

I'm glad, because the Lord has the need of it. You what? You're going to take my car? It could be real trouble. And the implications, if anything goes south... Now, no doubt, these things were swirling in the minds of these two disciples. So, it says, He sent two of them so it says, He sent two of the disciples. Verse 30 says, His instructions, go into the village opposite you, so go right down there into the city, where as you enter you will find a colt tied. So, you're going to find this, because He tells them exactly what they're going to find, on which no one has set. So, this is a unbroken, unwritten colt.

Loose it and bring it here. Now, naturally, there's going to be questions, and Jesus anticipates this. Verse 31, if anyone asks you, why are you losing my colt? Why are you taking my car out with horsepower for a drive? Thus you shall say to him, because the Lord has need of it. What a statement, because the Lord has need of it.

I've used this too. I did one time. I needed a tow for a lady on the Jesus labor love, and this guy was not a Christian. He was so hateful over the phone, and he was like, and I said, why should I give you this tow?

I don't have any reason to give you a free tow. And I said, I actually did. I said, the Lord has need of it.

And he goes, what? Well, if I give you this tow, will you hang up? And I was like, yes sir, I will. And he gave it to me, because I believe that this is one of the keys to the kingdom. Not for something you need, but for something that the Lord needs. That is so good. That is the most powerful statement you can say to anyone, everywhere, anytime.

You heard Robbie testify. It just came right out there. The Lord has need of it. That is our life. Why do we live for the Lord? Because the Lord has need of it. Why do we want anything? That little statement solves a lot of problems. So here you have, and we're going to get these other things, and we've got to put a bow on this particular edition. We're going to come back and get into all the clamor and the welcome, and we're going to get into the people.

Why do they throw their clothes down? There's some deep symbolic stuff there, but just to wrap this up, it says, you know, the cult on which no one has ever sat. Jesus was born of a virgin who had known no man. He was an unblemished lamb of God.

The perfect spotless lamb of God. He was carried now by a beast that had never been ridden. In a few days, he'll be laid in a borrowed tomb that had never been occupied. So the one who would bear our burdens would be the first burden born by this little donkey, this little cult. The cult would symbolize the descent of a king coming in peace. So in the ancient days, when a king came on a cult, especially an unbroken, unridden cult, it's a sign of peace. When he came riding on a big white horse, that would be to conquer. He would be coming to vanquish foes and destroy and shed blood. In this case, in Revelation 1, he comes to conquer a king. In this passage in Luke 19, he comes as the Prince of Peace, who rides a beast of peace into the City of Peace, Jerusalem, Shalom, and then he sends these guys to get this cult and the statement, because the Lord has need of it.

So Jesus Christ, in his final week, before even coming down and willingly offers himself on Good Friday, is setting it all up. Here's a question, can I say of my life, Robbie, the Lord has need of it? Is that my heart? Is that how I respond to things? Is there any more powerful phrase out there?

It is, it's beautiful. So he armed them with that, and sure enough, as they were losing the cult, the owner said to them, why are you losing the cult? And they said, the Lord has need of him. And it's fascinating that they said exactly what Jesus told them to say. We're gonna see what happens when Jesus mounts this cult and goes into the city next time. We'll get into it more on Experience Truth. Thank you for being with us.