Well, last Sunday we began a little mini-series, Jesus' Assistance to the Cross, and we studied Mary's preparation for burial in the Gospel of John as she anointed the feet of Jesus. And today we have a very special character, an assistant to the cross. And he or she or it, more appropriately, is not a person. I'm calling it the Palm Sunday donkey. I am amazed at what is in the Bible about this donkey. It's amazing, just amazing. So we want to study it today, but this donkey, think of it, was Jesus' transport to suffering. Think of that. His transport to suffering. So God willing, on Good Friday, this Friday, we will have one more assistant, a very special assistant, Simon of Cyrene. And not that it matters, but probably his skin color was dark. And he helped Jesus get to the cross. He carried his cross. And so God willing, we'll look at him on Good Friday. And Lord willing, next Sunday, Resurrection Day, 100% Sunday, we're going to look at Jesus' assistance after the cross. I'm looking forward to that. I was preparing it about 3 o'clock in the morning as I was lying in my bed. Let's pray. Dear Father, we thank you so much for the blessing to be together here today. We thank you so much for the blessing to be in the body of Christ and to be in the local church. And dear God, we praise you for raising up East End Baptist Church 134 years ago. And thank you that we're still here proclaiming the gospel that Christ died, was buried, and rose again. And Lord, you've brought us all here in this time and this place, not by chance. And we are so grateful. We thank you and we give you praise. And Lord, we hold in our hands a copy of the scriptures. How blessed we are to be able to have the Bible, our own copy of the Bible in our language. and how blessed we are to be able to study it and preach it and teach it. So Lord, we pray that you would give us understanding. We pray that your spirit would make application. And Lord, if there's anyone hearing this who has not yet believed in Jesus, the very purpose of Palm Sunday, They have not yet believed in the suffering Savior who died in their behalf. I pray you'll show them their need. They'll run to the cross, believe, and be saved, and make application to the heart of every believer. We ask in Jesus' powerful name. Amen. One of the powerful truths about the God of the Bible is that not only is He the God of creation, But he is sovereign over his creation, whether that be nature or animals or mankind. And he providentially orders events and the timing of them to work out his purposes. Think of how God caused the Red Sea to part. for the nation of Israel, the God of creation, sovereign over nature, over the Red Sea. Think of how God caused Balaam's donkey to speak. I would love to have been there. Think of Jesus' words to the wind and the waves. Peace, be still, and know it's calm. I see God's hand at work in the details of Palm Sunday concerning a lowly but highly functional and useful animal, a donkey. Near where my daughter lives in Texas, the neighbors have a donkey. And Abigail has gone there different times and has fed that donkey a carrot or some treat. A delightful creature. These big ears, big long nose, and comes over to the fence, you know, to greet you. Delightful character, that donkey. Well, think with me on the big picture here about this donkey and the life of Jesus. Jesus is transported into Jerusalem on Sunday, this day that we call Palm Sunday. On Friday of that week, he is crucified after being mistreated, beaten, mocked. The donkey was his means of transportation to get him into the city where he would suffer. So that's why we say transport to suffering. Let's notice some biblical details about this Palm Sunday donkey, this useful assistant, assisting Jesus to the cross. Now here's a little note. This is very important. And I would encourage you to follow along in your notes that are included there and add to them. This is not there in your notes. S-Y-N-O-P-T-I-C. Synoptic. Synoptic Gospels. What are the Synoptic Gospels? Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Why are they called that? Synoptic. The S-Y-N part, soon, is the preposition that means with or together with. and the optic, well optics to see, to see together. So Matthew, Mark, and Luke tend to present a similar view of the life of Jesus. Matthew, for example, gives the birth narrative Jesus, so does Luke. Mark starts him right in on his baptism and his ministry. But John is different. John starts, in the beginning was the Word. He goes from eternity past, and he presents Jesus in a little different way. So he's all a little bit by himself, but not by himself, they're all together. So they all present a powerful view of Jesus. Now, liberal scholars have tried to show differences and discrepancies between the details. Well, let me give this illustration. I've shared something like this before. God forbid this would happen. But let's just say that today, on Palm Sunday, a fire started in the basement. And so I yell out, everyone leave! And so some of you go out those doors, some of you go out these doors, some are in the basement, you go out the side door, somebody was over in the center, they go out that door. And we all end up out on the sidewalk on Van Sicklen and on Glenmore. And a reporter comes by and he comes to you and says, tell me what happened. And you say, well, I was in the auditorium, we were in worship and the pastor called fire and I came out the front door. and I nearly tripped down the stairs in my haste." He writes that down. And then he goes to someone else who came out of the center and said, can you tell me what happened? He said, I really don't know. I just heard a commotion, and I just came out. I'm not sure all the details, but look, I see the smoke. And he describes that vantage point. And then he comes to someone over in the parking lot and said, can you tell me what happened? He said, well, I began to smell smoke. And I went out the back door as soon as I could to escape. And there were a couple elderly folks that I helped. And so all of those reports together, they don't contradict, they do what? They compliment. And you see all of them, you get a pretty full picture of what happened on that day. Does that make sense? Well, that's the Synoptic Gospels and also the Gospel of John. Details together, sometimes a little different nuances added, not contradictory, complimentary. So this is what's amazing to me, all four Gospels, all four. The Synoptics and John speak to this powerful event and this humble animal, the donkey, all four of them. So be ready to follow. Can you show me your Bible or the pew Bible that's in the rack there? Can you just hold it up? If you're using your phone, can you hold that up? Okay. Hold it in one hand. Can you show me your other hand? Do this. wave at me with your fingers. I want you to have nimble fingers. and be ready to turn to Matthew, Mark, and Luke and John, okay? So just be ready to find it in your Bible and to turn. So first of all, I'd like to ask this question, how did the Palm Sunday donkey demonstrate itself to be Jesus' very useful assistant to the cross? And the first way is this, the donkey prophesied. Look at John chapter 12. This is just astounding. John's account is rather brief about Palm Sunday, but nonetheless, it's here. John chapter 12, notice verse 14. Then Jesus, when he had found a donkey, sat on it as it is written, fear not, daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt. So here is a prophecy indicated about this donkey. Let's go back to Matthew chapter 21. Notice verse four. all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet saying tell the daughter of Zion behold your king is coming to you lowly and sitting on a donkey a colt the foal of a donkey so as we will discover there are two there's the mother and there's the colt the foal and Jesus rides on this foal. So the donkey was foretold. Jesus fulfilled what was written. The Old Testament predicted this event in the life of Jesus, get this, 500 plus years before through the prophet Zechariah. So turn there with me, Zechariah chapter nine. Where's Zechariah? Well, you're at Matthew, just go back two books. Go to Matthew, take a left, pass Malachi, get to Zechariah. Zechariah chapter nine, verse nine. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you. He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt the foal of a donkey. 500 years plus before the event it was prophesied. And so now in the Gospels it all tells us this is a fulfillment. So Zechariah 9 addresses Jerusalem's inhabitants. Notice how it says daughter of Zion. That means those who reside there, the inhabitants. Zion an area of Jerusalem, or it may refer to the whole city of Jerusalem, and they had no need to fear. The king was coming in peace and for salvation. So fear not. Zechariah 9-9 was a messianic prophecy, and we've studied many of those before. A messianic prophecy is a prophecy, a scripture written beforehand that predicted the coming of Jesus, the Mashiach, the Anointed One, the Messiah. It prophesied here the King's coming. Isaiah 7, 14, it prophesied the Messiah's virgin birth. Psalm 22, it prophesied Messiah's crucifixion. This is a powerful, wonderful study of the word of God, the messianic prophecies. Well, Palm Sunday is a fulfillment of Zechariah 9, 9. So we have the donkey prophesied. It was in the mind and will and plan of God. Now notice the second truth. The donkey tied. The donkey tied. Look at Luke 19 and verse 30. These are words of Jesus saying, go into the village opposite you, where as you enter, you will find a colt tied. See that? Tied. on which no one has ever sat. Loose him and bring him here. Matthew 21, verse 2. Maybe it's easier if you just put a marker in these places, you can just flip back and forth. Matthew 21, 2, saying to them, go into the village opposite you and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a cult with her, loose them and bring them to me. And we might as well include Mark here, 11 verses two and three. Mark 11 in verses two and three. And he said to them, go into the village opposite you, and as soon as you have entered it, you will find a colt tied on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. Matthew, Mark, and Luke give this detail that the colt, the donkey, was tied. Why is this important? The Holy Spirit used, we could say, inspired ink to tell us that the donkey was tied. Here is the unmistakable identity of this particular donkey in Colt, tied. And Jesus knew about it. Go into that village, this is the one, one right there that is tied. Now while we're here in Mark, notice how Mark adds more color to the picture. This is just intriguing to me. Verse two, go into the village opposite you, and as soon as you have entered it, so this donkey was just inside the village, and Matthew tells us that too. But Mark adds this. As soon as you have entered it, you will find a colt tied on which no one has sat. Notice verse 4. So they went their way and found the colt tied by the door. Why do we need to know that? He's by the door. And then this. outside on the street. Unmistakable identity. The donkey's just inside the village, by the door, on the street. Can't miss it. Notice how we tell people how to get someplace. We say, you go down here, and you turn right, and you turn left. You can't miss it. And they call you 15 minutes later. Where is this? I told you you can't miss it. Well, I just did. I did miss it. Well, Jesus is telling them clearly that they can't miss it, and they can't. They won't. They won't miss it. But I want to ask you something. What would happen if the disciples got there and there was no cult? Just inside, there's a door, there's a street, no cult. What would have happened? Think about that. The veracity The truthfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ is at stake here. Does he speak the truth or not? You're gonna go there and find a donkey, a colt. Had they not found it, had they not gotten there, there would have been a problem. What else is at stake here? The sacrifice of Jesus. The donkey was his means of transport to Jerusalem. Think about this. The foreknowledge of God. Knowing details beforehand. The prophetic word of God, writing history before it happens. Zechariah 9-9. and the salvation of God, planning the sacrifice of his son in Jerusalem, they are all related to God's amazing ability to give and fulfill specific little details. He is trustworthy, praise the Lord. A donkey tied. The veracity of Jesus. The authenticity of the prophetic word. The reality of salvation. Now notice this. The donkey untrained. The donkey untrained. Well, we're here in Mark. Let's see that detail. Mark 11, verse 2. Go into the village opposite you, and as soon as you have entered it, you will find a colt tied on which no one has sat. Wow, this donkey never been trained. The mother probably been trained, but the colt, the foal, no one has ever been on this beast. What's it like to train a new animal, an unbroken animal? I can see right now being on an animal that was sort of trained. We used to have a horse. And she was a beautiful horse. She was part Arabian. She was beautiful. But she had a problem. You know what her problem was? She didn't like men. She didn't like me. I'm convinced of it. Oh, I was good to buy the horse food. That was fine. I was good to feed her. But on this particular day, I was riding her. The problem was, the week before, my daughter and some of her girlfriends who had horses, they went on a long horse ride. And I think she remembered that, only she knew that I wasn't the daughter. And so I'm on Sterling, and we're not too far from the house, and she goes into Bronco mode. Yes, not mold, mode. She starts kicking like this, and I think maybe it was a bird literally under the saddle, or maybe it was just that there was a man in the saddle. Woo, she was going like this, and I could see the ground coming, and it came hard and fast. And then she stood there. She won. I never got on her again. Well, she was sort of trained. So this fall, not trained, no one had ever ridden it. But Jesus said, loose it and bring it. Go to Luke 19 and verse 30. Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one has ever sat. Loose him and bring him here. No one has ever been on this colt. But Jesus said, you loose it and you bring it here. So what did he do? He assumed authority over it. He told the two disciples to loose it, to bring it to them. And then he sat on it. The donkey untrained, never been ridden. It was preserved for Jesus. As donkeys would present rulers, important people, or kings, it was preserved for Jesus, and Jesus' power tamed it. Jesus' authority tamed it. The donkey untrained, the God of creation, sovereign, even over animals and man, he can take control, and Jesus did that. That's a beautiful picture. He trained it, and he wrote it. And this next one blesses me the most. The donkey needed. Let's look at the three gospels, Matthew chapter 21 and verse 3. And if anyone says anything to you, Jesus anticipates objection to the men taking the donkey. If they say anything to you, you shall say, the Lord has need of them. And immediately he will send them. Go to Mark 11, verse three. And if anyone says to you, why are you doing this? Say, the Lord has need of it. And immediately he will send it here. Go to Luke 19 and verse 31. And if anyone asked you, why are you losing him? Thus you shall say to him, because the Lord has need of him. Verse 33, but as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, why are you loosing the colt? And they said, the Lord has need of him. Luke says it twice. Jesus gave the disciples the answer to the question of loosing. If they ask you, what are you doing? Here's what you say. The Lord has need of him. Think about this. Jesus stated that he needed the donkey. Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and Luke again, all say this. Jesus needed the donkey. Think about that with me. What does this show? Jesus, who walked on water, who healed the blind, who raised the dead, needed a donkey. Can you get a hold of that? Whoo, that really gets me. That is just amazing. He needed a donkey. What condescension to humanity? What humility? What humanity? That Jesus would need a donkey. And what deity? Because scripture would be fulfilled. And what comfort? If Jesus can use a donkey, he can use me. He can use you. You're special to him. What a lesson. The Lord has need of him. How God and his sovereignty and his providential work can even include animals in his plan. It's amazing. I love it. The Lord has need of him. The Lord has need. If you know Jesus as your savior, and you think you have a thought like this, I'm nothing, there's nothing I can do for the Lord. There's nothing I can do to serve the Lord. That's a lie. You're listening to a lie. God uses people. I could say God needs us. with the caveat that it's in his sovereignty and his providential plan. He uses people. William Carey, one of my heroes, the father of the modern missionary movement, was in England in the 1700s, and the theologians of that day were saying, if God wants to save the heathen, he'll save them. And William Carey said, but God uses means. attempt great things for God, expect great things from God. Amen. God uses means and God wants to use us. He wants us to be yielded to him. He wants us to be as it were untied. Here am I Lord, send me, use me. And what great purposes in this when we say Lord here I am, you use me. He has a purpose for his people. Well, now look at the donkey loosened. And let's go back to Matthew, just take them in order. Matthew 21 in verse two, saying to them, go into the village opposite you and immediately you will find a donkey tied in a cold wither. Loose them and bring them to me. Verse six, so the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded. Mark 11, verse two. Go into the village opposite you, and as soon as you've entered it, you will find a colt tied on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it, verse four. So they went their way, and they found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it, in verse seven. Then they brought the colt to Jesus, and they threw their garments on it, and he sat on it. They had loosed the colt. Luke 19. And notice these verses, verse 30. Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter, you will find a colt tied in which no one has ever sat. Loose him and bring him here. Verse 33. But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, why are you loosing the colt? Verse 35. Then they brought him to Jesus. Luke tells us four times, loose, loose, loose, and then they brought him. The donkey was loosened. Jesus commanded for the donkeys loosening Jesus anticipated objections to the donkey's loosening. Verse 31 of Luke, anyone ask you, you say the Lord is need of him. The disciples loosened the donkey, the owners objected, and then they relented. In verse 35, they brought him to Jesus, they threw their own garments on the colt, and they sat Jesus on him. It all happened exactly as Jesus said it would. If they object, here's what you say, and they will lose it. Now let's get to the cream at the top, the donkey ridden. While we're here in Luke 19, look at verses 35 and 36. Then they brought him, the donkey, to Jesus. They threw their own garments on the colt, and they sat Jesus on him. And as he went, they spread their clothes on the road. Now go back to Matthew 21, and let's see his detail. Matthew 21, verses 7 and 8. And Matthew tells us, they brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set him on them. and a very great multitude spread their garments on the road. Others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. It was preparation for a king. And look at Mark 11, seven and eight. Then they brought the colt to Jesus, threw their garments on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their garments on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The donkey was brought to Jesus. The people put garments on the donkey. They made a saddle, we might say, for Jesus. And Jesus sat on this donkey with the garments. and the people made a path for the donkey and for Jesus with garments for leafy branches and this is very intriguing to me John adds this little detail John 12 verse 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him and cried out, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. John tells us that palm branches were used. Palm Sunday. The other gospels say branches of leafy trees. Might have been some other trees too. So what a roadway was paved. Garments, leafy branches, palm fronds, amazing. and Jesus riding on this donkey. And where's he going? Into Jerusalem. Luke tells us that Jesus stops, sees Jerusalem, and weeps because he knows the judgment that's going to come. As we read in Matthew 13, Jesus said, there are people who would love to see what you see and they didn't see it and hear what you, you people right here in my presence who have seen the Messiah. There are people who would have loved to be in your shoes. And Jesus knew that they would reject him. He weeps over the city. Well, lastly, we have the donkey honored. We're here in Mark, so let's read verses 9 through 11. those who went before and those who followed. Mark tells us the Palm Sunday procession was behind and before Jesus. They cried out saying, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the kingdom of our father David. He ties us right back to Jesus being David's son, giving him rights to the throne. That comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest. And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when he had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. Let's go back to Matthew 21. Matthew chapter 21, verses 9 through 11. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! And when he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? So the multitude said, this is Jesus. Get this, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee. Hold that thought and go to Luke 19. I apologize for my sniffles, but my treatments produce this runny nose, I'm sorry. Luke 19 verse 37. Then as he was now drawing near 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 they had seen, saying, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. Interesting that Luke would add this detail. What did the angels say in Luke chapter 2? Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men of goodwill. Isn't that amazing? Tying it together, the birth of Jesus, the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Beautiful picture here. Verse 39, some of the Pharisees called to him from the crowd, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. Can you hear them? But he answered and said to them, I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out. Praise the Lord. And look at John chapter 12, verse 13. Took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him and cried out, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Verse 15. Fear not, daughter of Zion. Behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt. So all these together show us this. The crowd cried out, Hosanna. It means save now. It shows messianic expectation. the crowd cried, blessed is the one coming in the name of the Lord. It shows the messianic hope of deliverance. Blessed, you're coming, you will deliver us. And it demonstrates praise to the Lord. But in Matthew, we see the crowd exclaim to the highest heaven, glory to the highest heaven, to the utmost, May there be glory on this day. And Luke shows us that the crowd rejoiced in mighty works. Were they thinking about what Jesus had already done? Luke 19.37, maybe about the raising of Lazarus. They were rejoicing in mighty works. And then in Luke, the crowd ascribed peace and glory to God. So the crowd acknowledged Jesus as King. And Matthew tells us that when people were saying, who is this? The answer was, this is Jesus, the prophet. Okay, get this. Indeed, he is prophet foretold back from Deuteronomy. Indeed, he is king with rights to the throne of David. And he's riding into Jerusalem. and he will soon be priest and offer himself as the perfect sacrifice for sins. Our blessed redeemer, prophet, priest, and king. Praise the Lord. How was this donkey honored? Jesus received praise, adoration, and acknowledgements of kingship when he was riding the donkey. He received the glory, but I believe that donkey was honored. So how can we apply this? The donkey was Jesus' useful, faithful, assistant to the cross. The transport to suffering. Three thoughts for application. First of all, the word of God is true to the very small details. We can trust this book If you're skeptical, I challenge you to go to this book. If you have a friend who's skeptical, who dismisses the Bible, challenge them to go to this book. God is not intimidated by anyone's skepticism. His word will not be dwarfed in the mind of any skeptic. His word is true. And if you have questions, that's okay. God will answer questions. Go to the book. If as a Christian, as a believer, you have doubts, go to the book. The last four or five months, There were two days that were really hard. Well, there were many days that were hard, but spiritually hard. And one of them that morning, we were in our scripture reading about Elijah, and he was moaning and groaning, Lord, I'm the only one left. And Jezebel's after me. I thought the timing was interesting in that reading. And I'm a little ashamed to tell you that I did have this question. Why, Lord? I'm trying to serve you. Why? God brought me through that. And I don't know the answer to that question fully, but I do know the big picture. And I know this, I can trust this book. And we know that all things work together for good. And I love the version that says, and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God. You can trust the book and in your hardest moments, go to the book and it will be sweet and rich to you. There's another application here. God can use the most insignificant people, places, things, animals for his glory. And let me tell you, not one of us, if you know Jesus, not one of you are insignificant to God. Did you know that? You're special. And God brought a special brother into my life. I hope you'll come next Sunday. And all of you who speak Spanish, I hope you'll welcome him warmly. He's our building superintendent. And I was coming in one day and he had been at my door before, not to fix something, but to visit me. And he told me some of his story. He had, years ago, suffered and gone through horrific cancer treatments. And God brought him through and taught him. And this brother is encouraging me. This was some days later. I see him at the front door, and he encourages me in his somewhat broken English. And he said, you know, to Wisdom Solomon, To everything, there's a season. Powerful. And he said, Pastor, don't you go like this. Don't you walk like this. You go like this. Because you're a son. Praise God. You are not insignificant. You're a son. You're a daughter of the King. And God can use the most insignificant for his glory. In fact, when we're small in ourselves, that's when he can use us. Thank God for that, dear brother. Third application. Jesus was focused. Man, I'm just a blubbery mess today. Jesus was focused on getting to the place of suffering and death for the salvation of sinners. I have to ask you, have you believed this? Come to the cross, whatever age you are. You understand you've done bad things, you've sinned. You understand Jesus died, was buried, he rose again. Call on the Lord, say, Lord Jesus, save me. Believe the gospel. Let's pray together. We praise you, Father, for your word, the power of your word. Lord, as we think back about that historical day, when Jesus sent two disciples to fetch the donkey who was tied in a precise location And then he rode on that donkey, riding to his death. We're amazed at your knowledge. You know everything. We're amazed at your sovereignty, your providential care. And we're amazed at your salvation. We're amazed at your book. Dear Father, I pray if there's anyone here who's not yet believed in Jesus, that today would be the day. With our heads bowed, is there anyone who would say, I know I need to be saved. I need Jesus to come into my life to forgive my sins. Pray for me. Would you just raise your hand? Amen. You may put it down. Call on the name of Jesus in your heart. God, I know I've sinned. I believe Jesus died and rose again. Lord, save me. The Bible promises whoever calls in the name of the Lord will be saved. And visit with me afterwards, please. I have two questions for believers. Maybe you're struggling. Maybe you've gone through a hard time. Maybe you've doubted God's word. And you say, Pray for me that I will be renewed in my trust in the scriptures. Would you raise your hand? Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. You can put them down. And my second question to believers, is there one who would say, yes, I've told myself I'm insignificant. God can't use me. I'm not needed. And I see that I am. Pray for me that I will find my usefulness for the Lord, that he would use me. Would you raise your hand? Yes, praise God. Praise God. Amen. Can we return to the hymn that we sang earlier? My Jesus, I love thee. I know thou art mine.