We are looking at the eleventh
chapter of the Gospel of Mark this morning. Mark chapter 11,
there is a story of the Lord Jesus Christ sending and fetching
a wild ass's coat in order for him to ride into Jerusalem. Now this, as with all stories
and scriptures, has a spiritual application, a spiritual meaning.
story is a picture of salvation. This is a picture of how the
Lord chooses his people who are by nature wild, unbroken, as
this cult was. He chooses them to set them free
and also to subdue them for his glory. Now verse 1 and 2 I read. Mark chapter 11, verses 1 and
2. And when they came nigh to Jerusalem,
unto Bethpage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sendeth
forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go your way
into the village over against you, or in front of you, and
as soon as you be entered into it, you shall find a coat tied,
whereon never man sat. Loose him, and bring him." He
sent these two disciples. Two men were sent into the village
to do his bidding. Now, the Lord uses means to accomplish
his purposes. He uses men to preach the gospel,
which these men who preach the gospel, by the Spirit of God,
through the preaching of the gospel, he uses to awaken, subdue,
and bring his sheep, or God's people, to himself. Though men
are sent, yet they do not go of their own free will, but Christ
sends them. Christ calls them. How shall
they preach, Paul wrote in Romans 10, except they be sent? Though men preach the gospel,
yet it is not the men who God really uses, but it is the gospel. Though men preach the gospel,
it is God's word which is his power, not the men. Like a rake, or a hoe, or a shovel
in the hands of the gardener. It's not the shovel, it's not
the rake, but it's the gardener. And so it is. The power is of
God, not the vessel. In verse 2, he said, go your
way, as soon as you be entered in, you'll find a colt. tide,
a colt tide. And they went into town and it
was exactly as he said it would be. They found this colt tide. The omniscient, that is all-knowing,
omnipotent, all-powerful Lord God of glory calls his servants
and sends them into particular places where his sheep are. He knows where they are, and
he sends the gospel to them. This is how he finds his sheep. That's what he said over and
over, especially in John chapter 10, where he said, I know my
sheep, and I'm known of them. I'm the good shepherd. I lay
down my life for the sheep. In another place, he said, the
shepherd left the ninety and nine and went after the one lost
sheep. And he found it. He found it. Our Lord knows where his people
are. He knows them that are his, and he finds them through the
preaching of the gospel. We don't find God while the Good
Shepherd finds us, finds his sheep. This coat was tied, and
it says it never ridden. This coat made it a point to
tell us that no man had ever ridden on this unbroken Now,
this is a picture of all human beings by nature, and this one
in particular is a picture of all whom Christ chooses to subdue,
to save. We are all of us. All human beings
are unbroken, wild, uncontrollable, as it were. That is, without
God. Human beings do not want a God
that is an absolute ruler, controller, sovereign over them, a judge
to answer to. Men and women are without God
by nature, without direction. Actually, we are going in the
broad road that leads to destruction if left to ourselves unless God
Almighty apprehends us like this colt. It will go our own way,
the scripture says. Every man goes his own way. There is a way which seems right
unto man, but the end is destruction. Leave this cold to itself and
it would destroy itself eventually. Well, that's us by nature, existing
for self. Now listen to me. I know something
about horses. I've had over a dozen over the
years. I know something about horses. No horse. No horse wills
to be ridden. No horse of its own free will
wants to be and wills to be ridden by a human being. They do not
want that. No horse, it's not in their nature
to want a bit in their mouth, a bridle on their head, a harness,
a yoke. They do not want that. Nor do
human beings will to come to God. Christ said that twice in
John 6. He said, No man can come unto
me except the Father which hath sent me draw thee. It is not of the will of the
flesh, John 1.13 says, not of the will of man, but we are born
of God. We are made willing, Philippians
2.13 says, we are made willing. It is a God which worketh in
us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. That's Philippians
2.13. Psalm 110 verse 3 says, Thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power. A horse must be made
willing by the trainer. Depending on how good the trainer
is, is how willing the animal is. So it is in salvation. Romans 9.16 says, it's not of
him that willeth or him that runneth, but of God that showeth
mercy. All right, men, women, young
people will not, will not submit to God Almighty, will not come
to God unless God Almighty chooses to draw them. They must be made
willing. He must lay hold on them, apprehend
them, subdue them, break them, break their hearts, and ride
them, just like this colt. Now, why do we insist upon this?
Number one, because it's true. It's God's Word. Number two,
and chiefly, and this is the reason for everything. God must get all the glory, and
he will. He's not going to share his glory
with man. God's will will be done. Man
doesn't even have one. He must be given the will. All
right? Listen, there were probably many
colts in this village, probably many wild asses colts in this
village, but one of them was chosen. One of them. Christ knew
where he was. He chose that particular one.
And that's what the scripture says over and over again. Christ
said that to his disciples. He said, you did not choose me,
but I chose you. It's God's choice, not ours.
All right. Now, listen, there are in this
country, we have wild horse adoptions every year, wild horse adoptions
to thin down the population because there's not enough food for them
to eat or whatever. But anyway. Never in the history
of these adoptions has one horse ever chosen one person to own
them. Well, that's ridiculous. No,
a wild horse does not want to be owned or subdued, but wants
to run free. So it is with us by nature. Unless
God Almighty chooses us, we will not choose him. All right? It
says that Colt was tied, and Christ said, He said, Go into
town, and you will find a colt tied, whereon never a man sat. Loose him. Loose him. In verse 3 it says, If any man
say unto you, Why do you do this? Say that the Lord hath need of
him, and he will send him hither. There was a colt tied, and the
Lord said the first thing, Loose him. He was tied up. Loose him. And you know that we are bound
by something or someone. We're tied down by something
or someone. In other words, this horse, this
young colt, someone already owned this animal. They had it tied
up. They had it bound up to a post
by the door. Well, so are we by nature. Though men and women, young people,
pride themselves. in their independence. I'm a
free man. I'm a self-made man. No, you're
not. You're bound by something or
someone. Someone owns you. Someone. Well, in 2 Timothy 2, verse 26,
listen carefully. This is God's Word. 2 Timothy
2, verse 26 says that men are captive, taken captive by the
devil at his will. They're taken captive by him
at his will. Satan. I know this is old fashioned. I know some scoff at the notion
of someone named Satan or the devil. And I know preachers talk
about the devil and so forth in such a way as to that our
modern world mocks this, but he's a real person. The Lord
Jesus Christ spoke of him. more than any other person. Satan
is real, and Satan binds human beings. He holds them captive.
That's what it says there. 2 Timothy 2.26. He holds them
captive to the world. He holds them captive to the
world. Why is it that people just fall over and follow after
everything that the world hands down to them? Everything you
see on TV, every notion, Why is it people just fall for everything
that is said on television, the news, or whatever? They are captive
to it. Men and women are held captive
to possessions, to the pleasure of this world, and they seek
after it all the days of their life. They are held captive to
flesh. Men and women are also, by Satan,
held captive in religion. There is no place Satan works
more powerfully than in religion. holds men and women captive to
their false notions, to a false sense of security, to morality,
self-righteousness, good works, even the law. But Christ Jesus,
the Savior, gives the command, Loose him, bring him to me. Loose him, loose her, that one
who's bound and bring them to me." This is what the gospel
does. Christ said, know the truth and
it will set you free. He said, if the Son sets you
free, you will be free indeed, free from ignorance, free from
superstition, free from tradition, free from crafty men and women
who will hold you captive. Oh, people, I think about all
that is going on in Catholicism today, and sadly, most who are
in that will return to it in spite of all the corruption of
it. Why? Because they are bound by it,
thinking salvation is in the church, salvation is in the priest. No! Jesus Christ is all the religion
you and I need. Jesus Christ is the only priest
you need. Christ sets us free, free from
the law. Yes! Christ frees His people
from the law, free from the penalty of the law. He justifies us by
Him keeping the law, free from the curse of the law. He became
a curse, Galatians 3.13, free from the requirements of the
law. All ceremonies, ordinances, He fulfilled. We don't have to
wear a beard or a bonnet. Christ took that away to establish
the second covenant of grace. We don't have to keep a Sabbath
day. Christ is our Sabbath, our rest. That's what Sabbath means,
our rest. We trust his works. We're free
from the works of the law. Do you hear that? If the Son
sets you free, you're free indeed. Christ says, Loose him. Bring
him to me. And Christ rode into town on
this donkey. Why? Because he's not going to
share his glory. He's not going to share his glory.
He's going to come into town on a broken donkey, not a big
white charger or a noble steed so that everyone will say, well,
look at that animal he's riding. No, no. They're going to say,
look at the Lord. Look at what he did to that lowly
creature. And so it is in salvation. Well,
I hope the Lord will use this to set you free and bring you
to himself. Until next Sunday. That is my
prayer. Amen.