after the sermon we shall sing Psalter 187, the numbers 2 and 3. This morning we were called to be present in spirit in the Garden of Gethsemane. Tonight we go back a little earlier in time, a week earlier And at the beginning of that last week of Jesus' life, he made his last journey all the way to Jerusalem, knowing that the end of his life has come close, knowing that he, in a few days' time, will have to fully give his life, a ransom for many. And he is willing to do that. willing to perform the Father's will in every respect. And when he now arrives in Jerusalem, the city is crowded already because Passover feast is at hand. And many pilgrims from everywhere have come to celebrate that great feast in Israel. There is much talk about Jesus. The question has been raised by the many But what think ye that he will not come to the feast? Many of those have heard about him. have never heard him, have never seen him and they had heard about him and now they would like to have an opportunity to also see the Lord Jesus with their own eyes and to hear him with their own ears and probably when they see and hear him they probably will also be able to see him perform another miracle. It is mainly for curiosity's reason that a long to have a meeting with the Savior. And of course, many of the people are aware of the conflict that has arisen between Jesus and the spiritual leaders of the Jews, the scribes and the chief priests. A commandment has already been given by the spiritual leaders that if any man knew where Jesus was, he should tell it so that Jesus could be apprehended. and that commandment clearly tells how the mood is and what the attitude of the Pharisees and the scribes is toward Jesus, what they think about him. And for that reason it is a rather risky thing for the Lord Jesus to now come to Jerusalem at this particular time. So tension has been building up in Jerusalem and Though Jesus knew all of this, in the midst of all this tension, the Lord decides to do a remarkable thing, a thing that he has never done before. We often read in the Gospels that Jesus withdrew himself from the public life. Many a time he retired to some remote area far away from the people And so we read, for instance, in Matthew's Gospel in chapter 12, verse 14 and following verses, Then the Pharisees went out and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself. from them. And great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all, and charged them that they should not make him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Behold, my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased, I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets, The bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flag shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory, and in his name shall the Gentiles trust." Well, here then is such an instance in the Gospel that tells us that the Lord was not advertising his work. He was not seeking publicity. No, he preferred to work in silence. Well, that has been the way Jesus worked so far. And therefore, viewed in that light, it is greatly remarkable that the Lord this time takes an entirely different attitude. This time, He is doing things completely different. Now He is going to do a very public thing. He is going to make a triumphal entry into the city of David. When the Lord this time goes to the capital city of the Jews, He does not do so incognito. He does it publicly, so that everybody, both friend and foe, can know that He is in the city. And He does not make a secret of it. What then does he do? Well, he rides into the city upon a donkey, surrounded by his disciples, surrounded also by huge multitudes of people that enthusiastically welcome him and sing praises to God. Well, in a city that is crowded already with many pilgrims, such a thing cannot be hidden. Everybody will hear about it. Why is this sudden change in Jesus' policy? Why does He who always retired from the public scene now make His entry into Jerusalem such a public matter to be observed by all? I believe the Lord has several reasons for doing so. In the first place, In this way he shows that he is not at all afraid of the powers and the hatred of his enemies. They are scheming and plotting to imprison him and kill him and they certainly have great power to do what they have planned but Jesus is not afraid of them for he knows that these enemies can do nothing against God's will and without God's permission. And therefore, in his public entry into Jerusalem, the Lord demonstrates that he is not at all scared. He publicly even defies his foes. In the second place, the Lord in doing so displays his sovereign power. The enemies make their plans, but Jesus takes matters into his own hands. He takes the initiative. We may as well say he even forces the issue. He puts himself into the spotlight and everybody has to take notice of him. And what He is telling now to each and everybody by this public entry into Jerusalem is that He is the King. There have been moments in the past that the people tried to make Him King, but then Jesus withdrew Himself from their hands. Now He is doing no longer so. When He now enters into Jerusalem, And when the people want to give Him now the honor and praise and acknowledge Him as King, He gives them permission to do so. He now openly declares that He is the King, the Sovereign who rules and who reigns. And then in the third place, I believe the Lord Jesus wants to make the last act of His life as public as possible, and the last act of his life will be his death. He knows that the time is at hand that he will die upon the cross, that he will sacrifice himself to in that way make atonement for the sins of his people. And that last act of his life, his dying, must happen before the public eye. Everybody must hear about it. Everyone must know it. The Lamb of God may not be slain somewhere in a secret place. It must be done in the presence of all men. And so, purposely, the Lord Jesus draws the people's attention to Himself when He rides into Jerusalem upon the donkey. These, I believe, are the reasons why the Lord is doing this uncommon thing. And in all of this, He is manifesting His glory. Yes, at the beginning of His last week of His life, He is full of glory. Though He will suffer and He knows it, and though within a few days He will die and He knows it, He shall not suffer and He shall not die as a victim, as a martyr. He shall die the death of a volunteer. He has said, I lay down my life for the sheep. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. That's what he demonstrates, his power, his power to die voluntarily. to lay down his life voluntarily. And since the Lord is doing this, everybody in Jerusalem has to make up his mind what will be his attitude towards the Lord Jesus. And therefore, it is not an accidental thing, congregation, that exactly in this last week of his life Soon after the triumphal entry, the Lord has raised the question which he has never raised before in public. The question, what think ye of Christ? We read it in the next chapter in Mark's Gospel. That's the question that everybody must answer now. After his public entry in the city of David, Friend and foe alike must know that God expects them to make up their minds and to come to certain conclusions. Nobody will be able to remain neutral, non-committed. And so, since we too have heard about God and about what he does as it is reiterated in this passage of the Torah, and since the messiah's call was our opinion, we must all think not to go in this matter must be solved. This question must be answered. Again and again that question is put before us tonight again. What think ye of Christ? Have you your answer ready already? I hope you will have it ready after you have listened to the rest of the sermon. And I hope that you are able to say, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Moreover, I hope that you shall not be a sinner. The events as they are told in Mark's Gospel. After having spent the night in Bethany, the Lord, together with his disciples, walks in the direction of Jerusalem. And when they approach the village of Beth-feji, the Lord sends two of his disciples into that village, and he commissions them to bring a young donkey to him. He tells them exactly where they will find that animal, together with its mother. And when they have found it, so he tells them they must bring it, and if the owners of the animals will ask why they lose the donkey, they must tell them that the Lord has need of it. That simple answer will suffice and will convince the owners. And they will be allowed, I mean the disciples will be allowed to take the animal and bring it to Jesus. Without further questioning they will bring the animal to Jesus. The disciples obediently do what the Lord has told them to do. And they find it exactly, precisely as they were informed. They lose the donkey. When the owners ask them why they are doing this, they give the answer that Jesus has put their mouth, and that is sufficient. And so after some time, they return to the Lord with the young animal. That, very briefly, is the story before us, recorded in the words of Mark, as well as in the words of Matthew, as well as in the words of Luke, and we find it also in the Gospel of John. It must be therefore a very important story, since the Holy Spirit has determined to inspire four different Gospel writers to make mention of it. And since it must have been a very important story in the eyes of the Holy Spirit, there is much reason for us to pay close attention to it. Well then, let us study the passage and see what we may learn from it, what lessons it contains. The first lesson is that the Lord has a perfect knowledge. Lord Jesus has a perfect knowledge. He knows all things perfectly. He knows exactly where the donkeys are. Exactly what will happen when the disciples untie the animals. That is where the divine procession of omniscience. That tells us that the Lord has a perfect knowledge of all what transpires in this world. Even small and insignificant things are known by Him. He knows Nathanael sitting under the fig tree. He knows about the lives of animals. Nothing escapes his observation. He who is the creator and the preserver of all living things is fully aware of all the movements and situations of man and beasts. He knows where these asses are located. He knows what the response will be of the owners. He knows all. Let us not overlook this truth. It is often emphasized in the Word of God. Let me give you a few examples. Matthew 12, 24 we read, and Jesus said, He knew what was in man. John 6, 64, Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray Him. To Him there are no secrets. Even the hidden things of the heart are naked and open before His eyes. Yes, this perfect knowledge of the Lord is emphasized a number of times in the Word and that tells us that we should not overlook this truth. What effect does it have upon us? What effect does it produce in us? Let me tell you what effect it should have, both upon the unconverted as well as upon the converted. Upon the unconverted, this truth should have an alarming effect. Yes, this truth should alarm them to know that Christ's eyes see us whatever we do and wherever we go. We are not hid before Him. He is all-knowing and all-seeing. And we cannot keep anything secret. The things that we try to hide from other people, from our parents, from our neighbors, the Lord knows. As I said already, He even knows the secrets of the heart. Things we never seek about. Things that are known to ourselves only. He knows them. all the sinful thoughts, the evil lusts, the things that we try to hide from other people. He is familiar with them. And there will be a day, as the Word of God reasoned to, there will be a day that all these secrets will be brought into the open, and then will be judged by the same Lord who then will be. Congregationalism is what cannot be done nor said in secret. Does this thought not strike you with terror? Does it not alarm you? And should it not make us diligent to escape from sin, to escape from temptation, and to do never anything that would not be in accordance with the Lord's will? Let us think about Christ's omniscience. and be scared to do anything that he doesn't like to see. But this truth of the Lord's perfect knowledge is sufficient to bring comfort and anguish to those who also often deny Him. He knows their miseries. He says to the church in Ephesus, Revelation 2, I know thy works, and thy labor and thy patience. And to the church at Pergamos he says, also in Revelation 2, I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is. And to the church at Smyrna he says, I know thy works and tribulation and poverty. He knows all the conditions they are in. Nothing is hid from his eyes, temptations and trials and weaknesses. He knows them all. Sometimes God's people can feel so abandoned, abandoned by everybody. Everybody and everything seems to be against them. Nobody cares for them. And they can feel so lost, so miserable, so poor and needy and weak. and unable to defend themselves, and unable to stand in the hour of temptation, what do they need? What they need is to hear again and again the comforting message that the Lord has a perfect knowledge of how they feel. how sad they are, how despondent they are, how cast down they can be. He knows the secret cries that goes up from a tried heart. He hears the groans of an oppressed soul. He is acquainted with all the griefs and the pains, and his eyes sees them, see them in their closet. And his ears hear their cries. He knows all. And he also knows whether there is love for him in their hearts. Peter could appeal to that perfect knowledge of the Lord Jesus, remember? Lo-Lord, Thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love Thee. And so the perfect knowledge of the Lord is in the comfort of these that can be at comf- is comf- to. As in the soul of Eschach, it is a need. Jesus also in the passage before us, he sends his disciples out to bring him that donkey. Now look at the way the disciples are supposed to do that. Are they to go to the owners and ask very politely whether they will give them permission to lose the colt and bring it to Jesus? No. They are to untie the animal without asking permission. They have to act as though the animal is theirs. And what must they do when the owners will interfere? Must they delight the donkey? No, yes. No requests are to be made. The only thing they have to say is that the Lord has need of it. Now that's quite strange behavior, is it not? Strange behavior. But the Lord has inspired his disciples to act like this. But how can he do that? Is not the donkey the property of its rightful owners? How then can the Lord act and make his disciples act as if it is his? What's the answer? The answer is the donkey is the Lord's. The donkey does belong to Him. What the Lord is doing here is acting according to the principles as they are laid down in the Scriptures. For instance, in Psalm 24, the first verse, that it says, The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof, and the fullness thereof, and to the fullness of the earth this donkey belongs. It is the Lord's. And the same principle is stated in Psalm 50 verse 10. For every beast of the forest is mine, saith God. And the cattle upon a thousand hills, the beast in the forest, and the beasts in the meadow, and that animal as well, that donkey, they belong to God. That's the principle the Lord is acting upon. But what about these owners then? And what about their rights? They are the proper owners, right? The biblical answer is these owners are only stewards. They possess for a while what belongs to the creator. The donkey is his because he made it, he created it. And whenever it pleases him to make use of it, he makes use of it. I fear that this principle may have a lost sign. Let me scroll all over it to be used to render him service with. For instance, our money. It may be in our purse, it may be in our wallet, it may be in our bank account, but in the final analysis, it's not ours. It's the Lord's. And he claims that it should be spent in his service and to his honor. Have you ever heard the Lord's claim? The disciples were told to say to the owners of the donkey, the Lord has need of it. And that's what the Lord says to us as well. He has need of it. He has entrusted us with certain things and we call them our property, our possession. But the Lord says, but I have need of it. In a sovereign manner, He claims those things that we consider to be our own. Never forget that we are nothing more than stewards of the Lord's possessions. And the same principle applies not only to monetary things, it applies to our strength. Who gave us our strength? It applies to our health. Who gives us our health? It applies to our talents. Who gave us our talents? These are all gifts from God, are they not? Never forget that the Lord claims them to the end that He may use them and that they may be used in His service. What about our hearts? What about our affections? To whom do they belong? Do they not belong to our Creator? Are we entitled to use them to serve ourselves with? To dedicate all these things to our own honor? Or shall they be dedicated to the Lord? What about our heart? Ever heard the claim My son, give me thine heart. That's what he says. Give me thine heart that we already obey. Or is still this our response? I shall decide myself what I will do with my heart and to whom I will give it. No, it is not up to us to make that decision. The Lord claims it. Give it to me, he says. Sovereignly, he says, give me your heart, and your soul, and your strength, and your affections, and your whole being. Have you seen that already? These are God's sovereign rights. And did we yield to these rights already? That sovereignty of our Lord is evident in the passage before us also from another aspect. The disciples are sent to bring an animal to ride upon. What kind of animal? A donkey. But do not overlook that the Lord expressly states that it must be a young animal, a colt. He says, whereon never man set. So it must be an animal that has never been used before. No man ever used it to write upon it. A new animal, so to say. And that again, as I believe, underscores the kingly and the sovereign rights of the Lord Jesus. For a king has the right to claim what nobody else has ever used. He has the right to claim these things that are new, that which is best is hardly good enough for a king. And therefore, when David brings the Ark, the Ark of the Lord to the city of Jerusalem, he gives command that they must put it upon a new cart. And when the Lord Jesus is buried, he is laid in a new tomb. A tomb where never before somebody has been buried already. The king has a right to use things that are new and that are never used by others. Now if you now view the claim, my son give me your heart, we are confronted with a great miracle. Do you see that? The Lord claims our heart. He wants to dwell there. He wants to be king there. But what kind of heart do we possess? The Lord told the disciples to bring an animal whereon never man sat. Can we present to the Lord a heart wherein never was already an inhabitant? Are our hearts no ones? No, our hearts are not, no. Our hearts have been used already. They have been inhabited already. By whom? By sin. By the devil himself. Our hearts are full of iniquity by nature. They are foul. They are unclean. They are filled with sin and iniquity and wickedness. Hearts of ours are certainly not fit for a residence of the King of Glory. And if only a new heart is acceptable to the King, then our case is hopeless, is it not? How then can we have hope that the Lord will ever rule over us and dwell within us? If only a new heart is acceptable to a King, Nonetheless, the Lord claims it, though it is not new, though it has been used to lodge all sorts of evils and wickednesses. And when we ask the question, how then can the Lord dwell there? We see in our text that he maintains two principles. The principle, give me your heart, and the principle that only things that are never used are only good enough for him. So what does he do? What now is the miracle of grace? When he enters into a sinner's heart which is not new, which is not clean, which is not never inhabited, when he enters into a sinner's heart he makes it all new. He throws sin out. He regenerates that sinner. He makes the heart fit to receive the Lord. He makes the heart that is full of sin by nature yet His throne. That is the miracle of grace. And if you now have heard the claim of the Lord, give me your heart. I mean, you can answer that question with another question. How can my heart ever please Thee, O Lord? It cannot please Thee. And this foul and unclean heart is the only heart I can offer Thee, a heart that is too much given to evil, that is too unworthy to be in a boat for the Holy King. If you come up with that question, and it pains you when you realize that there is nothing else you can offer Him. Listen then, people that find themselves not worthy, that can discover no worthiness in themselves, and that are not able to amend themselves in whatever way, they may see it as such a gracious miracle from the Lord, that the Lord yet says, and yet give me your heart. I know what it is like. I know that I cannot dwell there as it is, but I know how I can change it." And then he adds the promise that he will renew it, that he will make it a heart worthy to be the residence of the great King. One third lesson, congregation. And that third lesson has to do with Christ's power, His great power. First of all, His power over animals. That animal that the disciples are told to bring is an untrimmed animal, a colt, a young donkey. And as all young donkeys are, this young animal too must have been quite wild. certainly when it is being used for the first time in its life by someone who would like to write upon it. Is the Lord going to make use and to write upon such a wild, rough animal? Yes! And there is no reason at all for Him to not do so. For He has all power also over untrimmed and wild animals. He is the perfect man, and God has given all things under His feet. So His power extends also over that young donkey, and He demonstrates it. He demonstrates that power by riding upon it, unhindered. And then, as the story proves, Christ has also power over the hearts of man. When the owners of the donkey ask the disciples why they are doing this, why they are untrying the animals, a simple word, a simple word spoken in the name of the Lord is sufficient to silence them. And that simple word is, the Lord has need of it. That alone will do it. What does that tell? It tells us that the Lord by His word has power over man's hearts, and over man's wills, and over man's thoughts, and over everything. The heart of man is in the hand of the Lord as rivers of water. He turns it wherever He will. So it is with the hearts of kings, according to the book of Proverbs, and so it is with the hearts of all men. When His word comes with power, applied by His power, man is made willing to give his consent. These owners do not ask any further question. Some have suggested that these men must have been people that believed in the Lord Jesus already. That may be so, but we cannot be certain about it. But whether or not they were believers and disciples of the Lord already, the Lord has made them willing. He has exerted his power over their hearts and their wills, and they allow the disciples to bring the donkey to the Lord. Do you see what further element this story, this part of the story shows us of the work of Christ? We saw that the Lord comes with His claims. He claimed the ass. He claims our hearts. But there are objections within. Is that not so? By nature, we do not agree with the Lord when the Lord comes with His claims. And He says, well, I have need of your heart. I need a dwelling place. Give me your heart. We don't agree. We do not agree with Him, we rebel against Him, we resist His claims. But what is the Lord able to do? In the case before us, He puts to silence whatever possible rebellion there could have been in the hearts of the owners. His Word comes, and it came with power. And through the power the Lord made them willing. completely willing. Is this not rich instruction in the passage? When we realize that the Lord claims our heart and that we by nature are not willing to yield because we want to do our own things. And because by nature we refuse to let the word of God enter into our hearts and the Lord be king in our lives. And because by nature we fortify our hearts against the gospel. And we do not want him to be king in our lives. We want none of this. By the way, are you still acting in that way? Is it still unwillingness and opposition in your life? Do you know what you are doing? You defy the lawful king and sovereign. May the time then soon come that you surrender, that you yield, and pray that the Lord may break all the resistance and overcome all that rebellion and cause you to obey. I see here then what the Lord is able to do. Apparently there are people that do no longer resist. People that have surrendered because the Lord by His power did subdue them, make them willing, make them pliable. The Lord used His power. And He brought them under the sweet persuasive power of the Gospel, and then they learned to surrender. You know these words from Psalm 110, His people shall be willing in the day of His power. And He comes with His claims. And when he comes at the same time also with the persuading powers of His grace to make them willing to give their heart to the Lord, then they are convinced. Then they are made willing. The power of the Lord is used upon their hearts. And when the sinner is made glad, really glad, to put down all his weapons of resistance and obstruction for congregation and those that have experienced it can testify to this truth. For the overcoming and persuading power of the Lord is a sweet power. It flows right out of the heart of a loving God. Has the Lord done this in your life already? If so, what much reason do you have to acknowledge the Lord for His undeserved mercy? And to my knowledge, congregation, there is a very encouraging lesson for preachers here in our text. and also for those, for all of those that somehow seek to bring the word of God to others either in school or in Sunday school or in whatever catechism classes or whether it be in the home when parents instruct their children there is an encouraging lesson here. These disciples were sent to do the Lord's will, to bring the Lord's message And did the Lord then leave all things in their hands? Did He let them do the work in their own strength and according to their own ability? No! In an invisible way He accompanied these two disciples. He went with them. And His power was there to make the work successful, to bless their labors. The Lord's power was there, and that Lord's power did what the disciples could have never done, convince these owners. He'll make them yield. And thus the Lord is willing to act in the life of all those that in obedience to the Lord seek to do His will and bring His message to others. They should learn to rely on the powers of the Most High and of the gracious Savior, the power that He possesses to open closed hearts and so influence people that they indeed surrender. That power must do it in us as well as in our children. Amen.