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Luke chapter 19 today. Luke 19. Jesus had a remarkable way of
speaking to people, often using imagery, illustration, example
to connect spiritual truth with their daily lives. In Matthew
chapter 11, he painted a word picture that resonated deeply
with those who heard, and it still speaks to us today. Because
just like them, we know what it's like to feel weary, to carry
the burdens of the world. And often, our efforts to go
it alone to live independently, fall very short, and only add
to the weight that we bear. But Jesus gives us this picture. Be up on the screen for you.
He connects a truth with something that people of the day knew well. Two oxen yoked together, working
in a field. When he gave this invitation,
come unto me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Learn of me. For I am meek and
lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Imagine two oxen yoked together,
pulling side by side. One ox can pull a load on its
own, but when two are yoked together, something powerful happens. Their combined strength doesn't
just double, it multiplies exceedingly. Together they can accomplish
far more than either could alone. Jesus issues this invitation
in Matthew chapter 11. He issues one of the most beautiful
promises that he ever gave. Come to me and ye shall find
rest. But this isn't just one of Jesus'
most precious promises. It's also an invitation. He's to partner with him. Take my yoke upon you. Jesus is not inviting us to take
a yoke upon us in an individual sense. You take the yoke, you
pull the burden, you do the work. Jesus is actually inviting us
to partner with him To yoke up with him And just as is true for two yachts
and who not only double but actually multiply exceedingly so when
we partner with Jesus when we partner with God and What we find is that our power,
our strength, our endurance multiplies exceedingly. As we turn to our text in Luke
19 today, we're going to look at an example and explore how
we can respond to this invitation to partner with God in a meaningful
way. Luke chapter 19, let's pick up
in verse number 28. The Bible says, And when he had
thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. And it came to pass, when he
was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, At the mount called
the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples saying,
Go ye into the village over against you, in the which at your entering
ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never a man sat. Lose him
and bring him hither. If any man ask you, why do you
lose him? Thus shall ye say unto him, because
the Lord hath need of him. They that were Sent went their
way and found even as he had said unto them And as they were
loosing the coat the owners thereof said unto them. Why Lucy the
colt? And they said the Lord hath need
of him And they brought him to Jesus and they cast their garments
upon the colt and they set Jesus thereon And as he went they spread
their clothes in the way I want you to think with me as we explore
this idea of partnering with God in a meaningful way. Number
one, we can partner in God's work. We can partner in God's
work. As Jesus approaches Jerusalem
during the final week before his crucifixion, We find ourselves
at a turning point in God's salvation plan from Luke 19 28 Through
nearly the end of chapter 4. This is culminating week Jesus
approaches Jerusalem for the final time the passage we just
read is the introduction into what is often called his triumphal
entry and Passover is about to begin. And by the middle of this
week, Jesus will be betrayed, arrested, tried, crucified. And then the first day of the
next week, he will rise again. And so we're at that climactic
time. This is the week that everything
changes. And as we see Jesus approaching
the city, we see something beautiful in motion. Jesus, the son of
God, invites others to partner in God's work. Jesus himself
was always focused on God's work, wasn't he? In Luke 19 verse 10,
which we find just earlier in this chapter, after his conversation
with Zacchaeus, we hear Jesus identify what that is. For the
Son of Man has come to seek and to save. that which was lost. This was his focus. This is where
his attention was. And I love that here in this
text, in these moments, as he is drawing near to finishing
that work, he is still inviting others to join him in God's work. And this is so important for
you and me to understand. God's mission is never a solo
endeavor. Throughout the Bible, God constantly
invites people to join him in what he's doing. And in this
moment, we see the same thing. Jesus, as he's approaching Jerusalem,
Tells two of his disciples go into the village go into the
city There you'll find this colt tie that no man has ever sat
on Lose him bring him to me. If anyone stops you says what
are you doing? Then answer them the lord has
need and so we see jesus using his disciples We see Jesus inviting
the owners. Can you imagine the owners of
this cult? Some have supposed that Jesus
has pre-planned with the owners to have this take place. The
scripture gives us no indication of that. Perhaps it happened,
perhaps it didn't. Whatever the case may be Jesus
two disciples show up They find this cult that Jesus spoke to
them about they begin to untie him and leave the cult away And
the owners show up and say hey, what are you doing? It's as if,
for you, someone managed to take your car keys from wherever they're
laying around, and walk to your vehicle, and unlock the door,
and climbed in, and started it up, and about that time, you
figured out what was going on, and you said, hey, what are you
doing? And they look at you and say,
well, the Lord is in need of your car. You probably would
not find that too awfully amusing. The Bible tells us pretty clearly
in Mark chapter 11 verse 6 that when the disciples told the owners
of this cult the Lord has need of him the Bible says They let
them go They permitted them they allowed them to take the Colton
go on their way. I So Jesus invites the disciples. He invites the owners of this
cult. Hey, do you see this? The Lord
invites the donkey to partner in his work. Jesus told the disciples, if
anyone asks you, say this, and did you catch what he said to
say? Read it, would you? The Lord hath need him Think
about that for a second The Lord had need of him Now we know that
in context there is a prophecy found in Zechariah 9 verse 9
to Jerusalem that their Savior King would come unto them riding
upon a colt the full of an ass and A baby donkey, a young donkey. So there is a prophetic purpose
that is at play here. But it begs the question, doesn't
it? Does God need us? Lord, what do we say to the owners
if they wonder why we're stealing their colt? Tell them the Lord
has need of him. Does God need us? Have you ever
thought about that question? Does God need me? Does God need us? Theologically, the answer would
be no. God is self-sufficient. He's independent over all creation. God does not need anyone or anything
to exist. God does not need anyone or anything
to survive. God does not need anyone or anything
to do what he is going to do. Theologically speaking, God doesn't
need us. But over and over and over again,
all throughout the Bible, He invites ordinary people to join
him in his extraordinary work. And that's very meaningful. To me, it is more meaningful
that God doesn't need me, and yet he chooses me. It's a blessing this morning
to understand that to do his work, God doesn't need me, but
he chooses to use me and to partner with me in his work. Think about
that, from Adam tasked with tending the garden. to Noah building
the ark, to Moses leading a nation, and we could continue throughout
the word of God. God doesn't need us, but he chooses
us. He invites us to partner with
him in his work, and that includes you and me today. Let that sink
in. God wants you to partner with him in his work. Paul penned these words in Ephesians
2 in verse 10. For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus under good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them. You and I were made for this. You and I were created with purpose,
with this invitation from God to partner with Him in the extraordinary
work He wants to do in the world, that He wants to do in humanity,
that He wants to do in people's lives. You and I have the privilege
of joining with Him in that way, to do what He desires to have
done. Think about the prayer that Jesus
gave an example of in Matthew chapter 6 Our father which art
in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors lead us not into
temptation But deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom
the power and the glory forever and ever amen right in the middle
there Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven. How is that done? God chooses
to do that through partnering with ordinary people like you
and me to do his extraordinary work. Are we walking in the purpose
God has for us? Today, God is inviting you, he's
inviting me to partner with him in his work. That was part of
what Jesus meant when he said, come unto me all ye who weary
and are heavy laden and I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you and learn of me. He was inviting us to partner
with him in his work. Are you walking in that purpose?
And then I want you to see a second way that Luke 19 exemplifies
that we can partner with God Not only we can partner with
him in his work, but we can partner in God's worship pick up in verse
number 37 if you would of Luke 19 the Bible declares and when
he was come and Nine even now at 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 that
they had seen Saying blessed be the king that cometh in the
name of the lord Peace in heaven and glory in the highest And
some of the pharisees from among the multitude said unto him master
rebuke thy disciples And he answered and said unto them. I tell you
that if these should hold their peace The stones would immediately
cry out And when he was come near, he beheld the city and
wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least
in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now
they are hid from thine eyes. For the day shall come upon thee
that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass
thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay
thee even with the ground and thy children within thee. And
they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another, because
thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. And he went into
the temple. and began to cast out them that
sold their inn and them that bought, saying unto them, It
is written, My house is the house of prayer, but ye have made it
a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the temple,
but the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the
people sought to destroy him and could not find what they
might do, for all the people were very attentive to hear him. What's the connection? through
these verses, this second half of this part of the text. In a way, this text or portion
of the text represents a contrast in the way people respond to
Jesus. Think about this as it relates
to partnering in God's worship. Do you see this truth in the
text that we can worship through reception of Jesus as our Savior
and King. As Jesus mounts the colt and
they begin to descend through the Kidron Valley into and then
up to Jerusalem, what are the disciples beginning to do? What
did we read there in the text? They're rejoicing. They're crying
out, Hosanna! Now son of David who comes in
the name of the Lord, Hosanna to the king. They are worshiping
Jesus. And something interesting is
at play here as well. If you remember many times throughout
the New Testament, throughout the Gospels, throughout Jesus'
time in ministry, Jesus will heal a person and then he'll
tell them, Don't say anything to anybody. Jesus asked his disciples
who do people say that I am? Oh some say you're Jeremiah or
one of the prophets some say you're John the Baptist returned
from that some say you're Elisha That you're one of these great
prophets and Jesus will then say well, who do you say that
I am? Oh, well, we believe you're the Christ the son of the Living
God. That's great guys. You're true blaster you that
no one revealed this to you that you learned it of God himself
and Now keep it to yourself don't say anything about this to anybody
But now here are jesus disciples who by the way Still have a misunderstanding
about his purpose Why they're coming to jerusalem and what's
going to take place there? They're rejoicing and they're
worshiping jesus And he's not saying anything He's not telling
them hey guys keep it to yourselves Be quiet, don't say that. There
are others in the crowd who are not receptive. They speak to
Jesus, these religious leaders, and they say, master, your disciples
be quiet, rebuke them. Don't you hear what they're saying?
Tell them to close their mouths. What does Jesus do? In his response, Jesus identifies
his acceptance of their worship. I'm not going to tell them to
be quiet. In fact, Jesus looks back at these Pharisees and he
says, if I were to tell these to be quiet, then the very stones
would begin crying out and praising me. I don't know about you, but I
almost would have liked Jesus to tell the disciples to be quiet
so they could see that happen. What a sight that would have
been to see creation itself begin to cry out in praise and worship
Jesus Christ. This whole ordeal is interesting,
isn't it? Worship is another way that we
can partner with God. We join in in declaring his glory. The stones would have done it
had Jesus' disciples not done it. But the Bible tells us that
creation already declares the glory of God, doesn't it? The
heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament shows his
handiwork. But what a wonderful privilege
God has given to you and I to join in nature's song, to worship
and praise him. So here's a question for you
and me today. How does our lives reflect our
worship of Jesus? How does your life today reflect
worship of Jesus? What we begin to understand here
is Jesus is entering Jerusalem as the prophet Zacharias said
he would, not only as king, but as savior. He is a savior king. And by accepting him, by receiving
him as Savior and King, the disciples partnered in worship. And so let me ask you today,
are you receptive of Jesus as Savior and King? Let's begin with Savior. The Bible is clear that Jesus
came into this world to live a perfect life that we can't. You understand that, don't you? I'm not perfect. I, many times in my life, have
said and done and thought things against God's law, against His
will, His word, and so have you. We cannot live perfectly, which
is what God requires to enter into his presence. And not one
of us can. There is none righteous, no not
one, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
But Jesus came. the very son of God the God man
God himself robed in human flesh and He lived perfectly He did everything right that
he should have done He didn't do anything wrong that he shouldn't
have done. He lived the perfect life that
we can't and then Just later on from this week He died the
death that we deserve. For the wages of sin is death. Not just physical death. but
also something else that Jesus experienced on the cross. The
reason he cried out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken
me? Because death isn't just a physical
end of life, it is a separation from God. And while Jesus Christ
was hanging on that cross, bearing in his own body, he literally
became my sin. He experienced separation from
God. Something that those who do not
receive Jesus as Savior will experience for all of eternity. And then he died. Was buried. But on the third day, he rose
again. to offer you and I something
we could never earn for ourselves, eternal life. Have you received
jesus? as your savior Recognizing you
are a sinner condemned in your sin that jesus died in your place
He rose again to offer you eternal life new life In him and you
can only receive that gift through faith in jesus and his finished
work for you Have you trusted jesus christ as your savior? And if you say yes pastor, I
have received Jesus Christ as my Savior Praise God. Are you also receptive of him
as your king as? Your sovereign is Jesus the Lord
of your life You see friends we need to understand that worship
is about our words and but it's a life as a testimony to his
greatness. Worship isn't just confined to
a song we sing on Sunday or to sitting in a chair or a pew during
a service. Worship is a way we live every
day. It's every action, every decision,
every word declaring Jesus is king. Does your life reflect worship
of him? Are you partnering with him in
worship in that way? And then Jesus did something
shocking. As you continue reading, as we
did in Luke chapter 19, he entered the temple and started flipping
tables, driving out the money changers. Historians tell us
that this took place in the court of the Gentiles. They're in that
outer court of the temple where both Jew and Gentile could come
to offer worship to the Lord as only the priest could enter
the actual building of the temple. The temple leaders allowed there
to be businessmen, traders there, selling the animals for sacrifice,
but they were doing so. One historian even that I read
tells us, That the pigeons which were for the poor people which
outside of the temple grounds you could get for about four
denarii The business people inside the outer court were selling
the same pigeons for 75 denarii almost 20 times The cost you
could get it elsewhere Fleecing the people of God, fleecing those
who came with a heart for worship. This was the central place of
worship, and yet they had made it as Jesus said, a den of thieves
and robbers, and he said, my house is a house of prayer. But you've made it this den of
thieves and in this we see another way That we can partner in God's
worship not only through reception of Jesus as our Savior and King
But secondly, we can parse it we can partner with God in worship
through respect of his house You see they came to a place
where they no longer respected God's house This was the central
place of worship for Israel's God. Not an idol made of stone
or wood carved by men's hands, but the one true God. This is where he was worshipped. In his response here, Jesus'
response to what he found revealed his disappointment with the treatment
of God's house by God's people. So let's think for a moment. For us, what does it mean to
treat God's house with respect? I can remember when I was younger.
seeing or at times being one of the children scolded for running
around in the auditorium at church. And often it was said something
like this, we need to respect God's house. At times, even parents
would be spoken to about the need to teach their children
how they should act in God's house. I have to wonder, is kids running around in the
auditorium really what God's concerned about? Is he focused on whether children
are running around in the auditorium or is it something deeper? We study scriptures, especially
Jesus life the Gospels as it's presented to us in the Word of
God. We learned something Very quickly Jesus is concerned with
the heart There was a day when the Pharisees
came to him, and they tried to trap Jesus. They questioned him. They tried to put him in a corner
and talk with him about something to trap him in his words. And
Jesus immediately flipped the table, and he accused them, saying, you drive
not God, with your words, but your hearts are far from
him." Jesus quoted Isaiah as he made
this accusation and clearly identified he did not wish to be worshipped
Through right words, he desired to be worshiped through an attitude
and a position of the heart. That is what he is concerned
with. He's concerned with why we're
here and how we approach him. Are we just going through the
motions? Well, I don't run around in the
auditorium. I treat God's house with respect
in that way, is that really what he's after? Or is he after something
at a deeper level? Are we truly honoring him with
our hearts, our lives, our actions? Now I want you to remember this
truth today. It's not God's house, the auditorium. In fact, the application of the
temple in the New Testament Christianity demands our attention. Paul wrote
about it in 1 Corinthians chapter six when he said this, what? Know ye not that your body is
the temple of the Holy Ghost? which is in you, which ye have
of God, and ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price.
Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God's. I'm gonna ask you a very pointed
question. How are you treating God's temple
today? You say, pastor, well, I'm here
in the auditorium. I'm dressed neatly. I haven't
been running around the auditorium today. I've respected God's house. Friends,
can I remind you that God's house today isn't this building. Your
body is the temple of God. Because God has given you of
his spirit, his very spirit indwells you. You see, it's not just the
church building, it's us. Our bodies are temples of the
Holy Spirit. God dwells in you. How are you
treating his temple? In case you're here today and
you want to say, you know pastor God really isn't concerned about
that I'll call you attention your attention to verse 20 where
Paul doesn't just say glorify God in your Spirit glorify God
in your heart. He says first glorify God in
your body You see God is concerned and
with how you and I treat our body, with what we do with our
bodies. God is concerned about it. Do we worship God with our entire
lives, with every part of our being, recognizing that we are
his dwelling place? I think we can think, perhaps,
of many different applications in which this could be. Perhaps
you can think back to times over your life where you've heard
different applications of this. In the direct context of 1 Corinthians
chapter 6, Paul is pretty clear what his context is. Verse number
18, what does he say? Flee fornication. sexual sin and immorality. Why? Because your body is the
temple of God. But we could extend that application
in so many different areas. Your body is God's temple. And as God's temple, The Bible
commands us to glorify God in your body and in your spirit
because they belong to him. There are so many ways to apply
this, how we care for our physical bodies, how we treat others,
because others too who are believers in Jesus Christ are also temples
of the Holy Ghost. How we manage our time and resources. All could be included in how
we are glorifying God in our bodies and in our spirits, recognizing
that they belong to him. Are we honoring God with our
lives? How is your life a living act
of worship? It ought to be. we can partner with God in worship. I want you to take a moment and
reflect on the powerful invitation Jesus extended us in Matthew
11. He calls us to take his yoke upon us, to partner with him
in our weariness, our weakness, our burdens, our lives, offering
us rest, but not the kind that comes from inactivity, the kind
that comes from partnering with him in his work and in his worship. We see it exemplified in Luke
19. Disciples, donkey owners, and
even the donkey itself being invited into partnering with
God in his work. It was a simple task, but it
was an essential task. God using ordinary people to
help in his extraordinary work. How are you partnering with God
in his work? That partnership continues in
worship. Jesus accepted the praise and worship of the crowd, knowing
that even if they were silent, creation itself would cry out. Worship is not just the songs
we sing, it's the lives we live. How are we reflecting God's glory
if our worship is genuine? then it will carry out through
all of our lives. It won't be just going through
the motions, but it will be a heart engaged in honoring and glorifying
God. We're also reminded that respecting
God's house isn't just about honoring a building. We are the
temples of the holy ghost. Are we living lives that reflect
reverence and honor to him? The challenge today is to partner
with god in work and worship Take jesus yoke upon you because
it is there That you can find rest for your soul and remember
That kind of work is not burdensome. That kind of partnership isn't
burdensome. It's life giving because you
don't walk alone. Jesus is beside you. And when
that's true, you can accomplish far more than you ever could
alone. Let's commit to walking with
him, working alongside him, worshiping him. and partnering with Him
in every area of our lives.
Partnering with God (M. 66)
Series The Gospel According to Luke
| Sermon ID | 101324184514401 |
| Duration | 42:36 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday - AM |
| Bible Text | Luke 19:28-48 |
| Language | English |
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