That's Who? Riding on a What? Why?, Part 3

The Jewish people had awaited the arrival of their king for countless generations.

When Jesus traveled about the land, working miracles and speaking with wisdom. People begin to realize their Messiah had come, but it wasn't until that grand moment when Jesus entered into the holy city day. We now call Palm Sunday that the fullness of his identity was revealed and today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll helps us relive that spectacular study in contrasts. Chuck titled his message. That's who. Writing on a what why this 500 year 500 years before the moment recorded in Matthew 21. Go back to the writing profit. Zechariah chapter 9 verse nine see what he says rejoice, O people of Zion shall try old people of Jerusalem look at this 500 years earlier.

Look your King is coming to you 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 time and beyond, from eternity past to return the future has pinpointed the Zechariah 99 statement with the fulfillment of Matthew 21, such want you to see word was written. Zechariah 9. So let's go back to Matthew 21 and Matthew runs ahead and says this might look like it was a spontaneous moment. It wasn't that it all was all part of the fulfillment of prophecy tell the people of Jerusalem look your King is coming to some familiar is exactly what we read in Zechariah your King is coming to you is humble, riding on a donkey riding on a donkey's colt. There's more. Keep reading. The two disciples did as Jesus commanded the brought dog in the cold to them through their garment over the cold, and he sat on it.

Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him. Others whose work Palm Sunday comes in.

Cut palms are 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, which is what they were shouting this is a spontaneous shell 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 song's way back to Psalm 118 versus 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 on 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 your 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 Bob house of the Lord, the Lord is God shining upon us, and further goes on, but I wanted you to see Lord save us pushy on the hosts cannot we get our word for Sanna from that, it means save now in words familiar to every Jew. The author is indicating that at this very point.

Every messianic expression 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 chain. Praise God in the highest heaven.

This is a great moment. By the way, it's a courageous moment for Jesus is is was wanted disease not he could have hidden out income and some back road, but he doesn't he not only enters from the height of Mount Olive. The Mount of olives.

He enters in a way that no one should miss sees a man sitting on the back of a colt of a donkey on a pause here and a little sticker breath in the limit tell you to be a page out of my own journal I do that I'm getting ready God play sandlot football.

I must've been 1112 years old and I'm running to the kitchen and my mother's is Charles Camilla sure is something you not I could kind of feel a a mother's sermon coming on and I didn't want to really sit through it or stand through. It was a mother I like I can do it later when I come back.

She's a know you're going to come here right now want to show you what the Lord gave me and it has you in my I thought, oh brother what's is going to be an idea stood there and was gonna toss the ball over the years. She said standstill 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 verses that can be. She said it's Proverbs 1816. She had written it out on a little 4 x 6 card and she 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 right.

Mom can I go and she said no I'm going to tell you what this what the Lord is told me about this. She said I believe that the Lord is going to use you in ways it we would never ever guess of as is. Mom, I hope he does in every through she said listen to me when you are older you will realize that God is fulfilling this in your life and that she said put her arms around me and she said what you know I'm claiming this for you.

Time passed.

I got to school and wound up on the record so you know what I got married almost forgot. We got married and and we married really young and in those days when you finish school, get a military obligation.

So I wound up about things going to the island of Okinawa, and here I am in the Marine Corps 8000 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 I eat allows me some free time for I am able to be meant toward 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 core, I say to my mentor. I think God may be leading me into ministry. Can you believe that these 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 and so I wasn't qualified to go there. I didn't have all the you know great academic background to do that.

So why I I applied and a member sent and I were sitting in front of Dr. Campbell and his office is registered.

He said were gone except you will on probation and I thought, that's fantastic do anything and 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 well probation and then I in the middle of my four years there I had the privilege of being meant toward by Ray Steadman not taught about California. Another period of growth and learning. We have babies in the process of time therein. I serve alongside Dr. Pentecost as an assistant pastor for a while and then I go to New England. Their little church and then I come to Irving and on their windup ultimately going to California. I'm almost through with it. So bear with me and everyplace little by little I'm witnessing the grace of God in my life so balding California of all things, though I never dreamed I would ever do it.

I wrote a little book in and of all things got published and there were few people want to read it and that's what author likes to have people read what you write and then they will know if I write another one.

I thought of Artie written in that or not they said no. I learned that publishers have an insatiable habit and that's they want more.

And I begin to write more in the room on the radio and before long, God was blessing the socks off of me and I me to tell you member my roots as background. This is a surprise to me. This is choreographed by me, my, my life is not the fulfillment of some great dream my life is one surprise after another. To this day will in the middle below this I get invited to a very special gathering of the Christian Embassy in Washington DC and I've been invited before, but this group would go to be different. There is a large number of high-ranking officers from the Pentagon were talking colonels and generals. There was or will be a group of ambassadors with their families. There would be there would be statesman women. There was even a cabinet member the cave.

This was in the Reagan era, and of all things. It asked me to speak and bill about a bride were there they had started Christian Embassy in our realize were going to be about 800 people or more. In this gathering of great men and women in 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 circle and by now my mother's did, but her words live on and I suddenly realizes his children was on my back that I am living the fulfillment of what she had 20 a statement that had been given to me when I wasn't even interested and thought I would never ever care about. I am now living I tell you all of this to say each one of us is engaged in life and there are those moments for God brings about a fulfillment of something he is planned for years for us and how great it is when we pause and give him thanks and praise for what is done. I remember standing up and I become a trip back the tears as I got started thinking. Who am I to talk to these great men and women in our realize I am a recipient of God's grace. That's what I know in Jesus case. He is the fulfillment of the prophecy as he comes into the city.

There were those who must've thought this is this is the moment we read this in the prophets, writings we have read this from the Psalm, there is this is happening. There are 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 and some said hello is something of a clue and the crowds replied that this is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth in Galilee. They could identify worries from the new. They were necessarily believers in him as a business or profit you heard of him is been traveling all over but much of it they didn't they didn't get in these praises are coming from spontaneously from the crowd and the praising the son of David and praising God for the sun and giving him the messianic title if you will let me tell you who knew what they were talking about and they hated turn from here to to Luke chapter 19 Luke 19 show you who they were. Luke 1939 some of the Pharisees, these are the people who put his face to the post office. These are the ones who hate him, who want to see him across they want to see it did 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 then they're declaring your Messiah, tell them to be quiet Jesus respond. This is one of his great in your face Moammar moments I love moments like this, where he puts them in their place, he replies wife. They kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers. The rocks would sing out the first reference to a rock concert right here in the been the gospel of Luke verse 39 verse 40 is how I got to silence them. This is exactly as God landed. The Pharisees were again put in their place in the back to Matthew 21 and were through were arguing this where you and the crowd are you putting a garment on the on the cold is a close follower of Jesus, by the way the people you work with know how close you follow Jesus is where the rubber meets the road for you and the group you like those who line the street in today's say you. But if you check the records you go all the way to Matthew 27 you find are the same ones who later said crucify, crucify, fickle crowd that they are. Perhaps you 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 for the cynical saying he's not who they claimed he was you been taught otherwise. But the truth is he is there is one and only one response that is appropriate to the one who is common 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 cold in this lonely 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 God's 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 usually in ways you could never ever predict like us to bow together before I pray I speak to you who are in need of surrendering is an old song all to Jesus I surrender all to him I freely give. When we speak of coming to know Christ were talking about that and I urge you to do that right now. There's never been a time in your life you have told the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want you to take over my life now is the time to do that as much to learn but this is the place to begin your learned here.

It's amazing what it will do to you or for you as a man is a woman as a father or mother is an employee as a CEO is 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. Would love to help you with that journey. If we can in any way, please ask us to do that. Thank you father for the up the privilege of entering into a scene that 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 were 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 by committee. 20 you know in the precious name of Jesus our master Savior.

Everyone said 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@insightworld.org. It's possible that today's program has motivated you to make some changes in your life.

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I'm Wayne Sheppard sitting in for my friend Dave Speicher 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 a 11 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