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Subject 21 : The Gospel According to MARK
[Chapter 11-1] The Lord Has Need of You (Mark 11:1-10)
(Mark 11:1-10)
“Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; 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. 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.’ So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. But some of those who stood there said to them, ‘What are you doing, loosing the colt?’ And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
‘Hosanna!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David
That comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!’”
Whom Does the Lord Say He Will Use?
Have you been peaceful, my fellow believers? Before I commence preaching today’s sermon, I want to tell you that our life is extremely busy. Yesterday morning I went to Kimpo Airport on business, and in the afternoon I went down to Injae Discipleship Training Center where I helped set up a large plastic greenhouse of about 300sqm with my co-workers. Since returning from the hard work, I feel exhausted today. I am very busy. And you also are very busy living in this world, aren’t you? I’m deeply thankful to Lord that He allows us time to share His Words.
Loose a Colt That Is Tied Up and Bring It Here
Today we read from Mark 11 verses 1-10. Our Lord said, “Loose a colt that is tied up and bring it,” and the colt mentioned here refers to everyone living in this world, that is, you and me. The Old Testament also records this: “But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem” (Exodus 13:13). This means, if the owner of a colt wanted to save the colt because of his compassion for it, he should kill a lamb instead to save this colt. This is the Word of God which was spoken to His people to illustrate the remission of their sins. I believe you know this very well that in the Old Testament times, there was the ritual of the imposition of hands where people laid their hands on the sacrificial animals before they were killed and offered them as the propitiation for their sins before God.
By the way, the characteristic of a colt, the offspring of a donkey, is that it is stubborn and does not heed to the words of its master very well. Also, it always carries something on its back throughout its life until it dies. Humans are also like this. Humans do not heed to the Word of God very well, and they are very stubborn and carry the burden of their sin throughout their entire lifetime. A donkey and a human are really very similar in this respect.
Because of this, even in today’s Scripture passage in the New Testament, the Lord speaks of us using this illustration of a colt. The Lord said, “You will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it.’” The Lord was telling us here what kind of people God calls when He calls for His workers. The Lord wanted a colt that no one had ever sat on. This means, the Lord wants to use people who have not become slaves to worldly people as His servants or as His workers. No matter who it is, once a person has become a servant to another human, the Lord cannot use him. This is because he already has an owner.
The saints whom the Lord is using currently and all the true workers of the Lord are people who have not become a servant of another. I want to say this Word of the Lord, “You will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it,” especially to our young brothers and sisters who have not yet become a servant of another human in this world. Of course, it’s the same for the older brothers and sisters as well. Even if you are an older person with not much strength, our Lord can lead you and use you as a perfect servant if you think “I am not a servant of another human. I do not serve another human being as my master.”
Anyone Who Has Not Become a Servant of Another Can Become a Worker of God
The Lord calls such people and wants to use them as His workers. However, as a colt is tied to a post by its owner, we humans are also tied to this and that. Jesus said, “If it is tied to something, untie it and bring it to me.” What does this Word mean? It means that a person who wants to become a true servant of God must untie himself from many things he is tied to. Although we humans are prone to be tied to all kinds of things in this world because we are fundamentally weak, we have this hope of becoming the servants of God and becoming His workers in our hearts. I want you to carry the Lord on your back and also become His approved workers instead of carrying other people around. I want you to untie all things of this world that bind you, and when the Lord calls you like this through the servants of God, I want you to run towards the Lord and really become precious workers of the Lord.
From a humanistic perspective, the way Jesus works in some aspects can seem really one-sided and difficult to understand. Jesus told the disciples abruptly and unilaterally, “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. 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.” Then the disciples did as the Lord had commanded them even though they could not understand it, and there really was a colt tied by the front gate of a house when they went to that village. One of the people standing there asked them, “What are you doing, loosing that colt?” And the disciples replied as Jesus had told them to, and the owner unbelievably gave them permission to take the colt away.
Dear fellow believers, do you think the Lord really needed the colt? Actually, even a colt can carry luggage only after growing up a little bit, but a young colt cannot carry much luggage at all. It only takes much effort to feed it but the truth is it cannot do much work. Then, what does this Word imply? We must understand the deep meaning of this Word well. The Lord is speaking here about the matter of calling and making us as His workers. The Lord said that He calls people who have not yet become the servants of another and uses them as His servants. The Lord said to His disciples, “Loose it and bring it,” and it means that although we who have been born again have not matured fully and our faith is still young, the Lord nevertheless calls us through His servants if the Lord wants to use us.
The Lord calls many believers as His servants through the born-again workers of the Church. Although a person who has been called does not have any ability now, the Lord will make him into His precious worker later if he continues to follow the Lord obediently according to the calling of the Lord. And the Lord personally rides into the City of Jerusalem riding on this young colt, and the colt receives much glory along with Jesus at that time. Therefore, although your faith is still young, do not doubt, “What can I do? Would God really use me as His servant?” If you are not bound to this world and want to follow only the Lord, our Lord said here that He will call you through His servants. At that time, we just need to obey His calling and follow Him by faith. Then, like this young colt that appears in today’s Scripture passage, we can be used by God preciously.
When the disciples untied that young colt and brought it to Jesus, someone took off his outer garment and put it on the back of the colt as a saddle. When Jesus rode on the colt, the people spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road and followed Him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” Our Lord rode into the city of Jerusalem on the back of the colt like this. Plainly speaking, this young colt became a success in a single day. That someone took off his outer garment and put it on the back of the colt means that God will entrust His work to us soon. It means that God will command us who have been called by the Lord to do His work and put God’s luggage on our back.
Do Not Refuse When the Lord Wants to Use You
Dear fellow believers do not ever refuse to obey when God calls you, when God wants to use you, and when God needs to use you. You do not need to refuse His calling, thinking, “I am still too young and I do not know anything.” If the Lord really wants to use you, He gives all the necessary ability to you first, and then uses you. Therefore, I want you to obey the Lord totally and follow Him without doubting. God really wants to continue to call workers and use them in His Church.
Of course, when one is first called to do His work, the person can feel an enormous burden, thinking, “Can I do this work when I am still so young? I am not confident about this.” However, the thing we must remember is that although we receive hardships with the Lord when we follow Him, we also receive glory with Him. That the Lord wants to use you means that you have been chosen by the Lord. The Lord does not call just anyone. He chooses His servants amongst the people who have received the remission of their sins perfectly and have not been tainted by this world yet even though he might seem immature still; He does not call people who serve others or follow after power and honor of this world because they are completely bound to this world.
Actually, I know that there are not many saints who are old enough to enjoy their lazy days. This means that there are that many people that God will call as His workers. If God calls you, I want you to really follow Him by faith. And I want you to do the Lord’s work joyfully. I want you to do His work along with Him. Although there probably will be some hardships as well, even more glory awaits His servants. Even the young colt of the Lord wanted to carry Jesus around on its back, not a drunk or a terribly wretched person of this world. Dear fellow believers, don’t you really want to carry Jesus on your back and live as His servant? You must serve the Lord perfectly as much as you can since you have received the remission of your sins after being born to this world. I want each one of you to become a colt like this who serves the Lord.
I reiterate this Word of the Lord again, which says, “You will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it.” This is the Word of God calling His workers in the Church. I want you to follow obediently if God calls you to use you like this. Actually there would be no justification in Him saying that He would use the colt that already had an owner. But the owner gave up the colt willingly when the disciples said, “The Lord has need of it.” When our Lord calls us like this, there is no need to apply any justified reason for it. If the Lord wants to use someone, the Lord just tells him to come. We just have to bring ourselves to the Lord just as the Lord said, “You will find a colt tied on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it.” When you bring yourself to the Lord, you become the servant of the Lord naturally.
We are bound to this world like the colt that is tied to a leash. We are tied to our families, jobs, and even to some businesses. However, the Lord said that the servants of the Lord go and untie the leash that binds you when He calls for you. It means that the servants of God explain to you what the really important things are and what are not. Then you just need to hear this and obediently shake off the things that are not important. Even if there are some losses, you just have to accept some loss before the presence of the Lord and not worry about it anymore. The Lord will eventually use you if He decides to use you. When the Lord calls you as His servant, the Lord does not ask for your understanding first. The Lord calls us we who have been living as the servants of this world and then uses us as God’s servants according to His will. The Lord rides on our back and entrusts the Lord’s work to us and also wants to use us as His servants to enter the City of Jerusalem. Therefore, when the Lord calls you like this, I want you to discuss with the servants of God and untie many things that bind you even if you are tied to the world in many aspects. I want you to become the servants that serve the Lord faithfully like this.
The Lord Truly Wants You to Use You for Many Tasks
Is there anyone among you who happens to think “I cannot be a servant of God” and refuses like this? How will you reply to His invitation when the Lord calls you to use you? Will you say that you cannot follow His calling? Or, will you say, “I am tied to many things, but I am willing to untie those things and follow you if you want to use me. Use me, Lord”? You must be brought to the Lord feigning yourself to be forced and be used by the Lord like this young colt in today’s Scripture reading. We must thereby become the servant of God who serves Him while living in this world and receive glory along with God and along with it also receive hardship at times. Do you understand?
There are some saints that God has already called, and there are others that God will call in the future. The important thing to remember is that the Lord does not come and speak to you personally, but that He calls His workers through His servants like the disciples of Jesus who went to fetch the colt as mentioned in today’s Scripture reading. And so when the servants of Jesus Christ, His disciples, want to use you, I want you to obey them and really be used preciously by the Lord. This is the main point of today’s sermon.
Dear fellow believers, do you think God is calling you? You will have either one of the following thoughts: “God will not call me” or “God will definitely call me.” And I know that there probably are some brothers and sisters who stubbornly refuse even though the Lord calls them. But when this happens to you, you must say “yes” and follow the Lord when it definitely is His calling you. It will never be a loss for you. God will call you some day through His servants, just as God called Samuel the prophet. I want you to live out your faith by believing in this Word.
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