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Saturday, February 19, 2011

Becoming a Donkey For Jesus (part 2)


Luke 19:28ff

Last week we started a little study about becoming the Lord's "donkey" in our town/city. 

The Lord's donkey? Yes, becoming a donkey for Jesus is simply saying, "I WANT TO BECOME A BEARER OF GOD’S PRESENCE! And here are four (4) things that stand out in the text.

1. IT WAS A COLT

It was a young donkey. Now this isn’t inciting a "younger against older" mentality. What it means is that this was a colt that, the Bible says, "whereon yet never man sat” in other words it hadn’t been trained by man, or taught in man’s ways.

Matthew records that there were two donkeys, but that Jesus rode the younger. He simply didn’t want to ride something that had previously been misled and abused, and had grown stubborn and contrary. Jesus needed an animal that hadn’t been infested with the ways of man! God cannot use someone who gets stubborn, and "thinks they know what to do," and "which way we ought to go." He doesn’t need people who are resistant, but people who are ready! Simply put, He needs people who haven’t let men’s opinions and ways affect the way they function in flowing with God.

2. THIS DONKEY HAD A PROPHECY ABOUT IT

In Zech. 9:9, there was a prophecy stating that the Messiah, or the Savior, would come "riding on a colt, the foal of an ass." In one way, this donkey was every other donkey. There was nothing physically unique or special about it. But this donkey was tied to God’s plan for the ages. THIS DONKEY WAS MARKED WITH A PROPHECY.

What does that have to do with us? According to Joel 2 and Acts 2, there is a generation which has a prophecy on it. It’s a prophecy that promises that the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon them. Well, WE ARE THAT GENERATION, in part at least. We are a part of the generation that is marked by a prophecy. If God has ever spoken something to you, or about you, and it hasn’t come to pass yet, then just know that you’re marked with a prophecy, a promise, of God’s divine intervention!


3. THIS DONKEY HAD TO BE LOOSED

 You see, even though this donkey had never been ridden, and though it had a prophecy on it, IT WAS TIED UP. In fact, men had tied him up. He didn’t know what he could do, because men had him tied up. He didn’t know what he was created to do, and even if he did, he couldn’t do it because he was tied up!

Now watch this: The prophecy on him was spiritual. But the thing that had him tied up was natural. The donkey was tied up in his flesh. And no one can carry Jesus when they’re all tied up in their flesh! There are people that God could use right now, or some He could use in a greater way, but they are all tied up!

When men don’t know God’s purpose for you, they’ll try to keep you tied up. And the fact that the devil knows that God has a purpose for your life, motivates him to attempt to keep you tied up. But you need to be loosed from all fleshly hindrances to be a bearer of God’s Presence!

And then,

4. HE WAS TIED UP BUT JESUS KNEW WHERE HE WAS

This donkey was at the very place Jesus said He would be. Jesus knew where he was. He was at the right place at the right time, and Jesus spoke a delivering Word that caused him to be loosed! Now, look at the text. The man wasn’t sure what was happening. And I can tell you that when you start walking away from that human tie-down, people are going to wonder what’s going on.

Just turn around and say, "The Master has need of me! He desires to come into town, and He wants a ride. You’ve tried to keep me bound, suppressed, and hindered, but the Lord that needs me has delivered me, and loosed me from every tie-down! HE’S GOING TO RIDE ME INTO THE CITY!" You can either wear man’s noose, or be a bearer of God’s Presence. (Rom. 6:16-18) It’s not really a choice, is it?
In closing, let me just tell you: The Bible says that the whole city was moved when Jesus rode in on this donkey. Let me tell you that, IT ONLY TAKES ONE DONKEY TO TURN A CITY UPSIDE DOWN FOR JESUS! Will it be you? Will you give Him a ride?

I say, "Let it be me, Lord, let it be me! I WANT TO BE A DONKEY FOR JESUS!"

-I preached this lesson years ago in Montana and then later in Washington. I "borrowed" the idea from a fellow preacher and ran with it. I am ever grateful-