Don’t Miss Your Moment
Some of you are familiar with Leo Tolstoy’s famous Christmas story where the main character is Martin, an old cobbler. One night as Martin sat reading from the Gospels, he thought he heard someone calling him. He listened and heard clearly: “Martin, look out into the street tomorrow for I will come to visit you.” He looked around the tiny room, and since he couldn’t see anyone, he reckoned it must be the Lord who had spoken to him.
All that next day, Martin worked with a sense of excitement and anticipation. After helping several needy people throughout the day, he reluctantly closed up the shop, disappointed that the Lord hadn’t come.
After supper he read from the Gospels for a while, and then put down the book. In a flash of inspiration, the words of the Lord came to him: “I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was naked and you clothed me.” The words thrilled Martin. The Lord HAD visited him, and he hadn’t missed the opportunity to serve Him!
Have you ever missed an important moment in your life because you were expecting something different than what actually happened? The people of Jesus’ day were no different; because they were looking for something different, they missed out on being part of His kingdom. Missing their moment had tragic consequences.
Our text today reveals several responses you and I must have to Jesus or we, too, will miss our moment. So, listen to the words of Holy Scripture from Luke 19:28 to 48.
This text reveals the RESPONSES necessary for you if you don’t want to miss your moment to enter the kingdom of Heaven.
The First RESPONSE is,
Proclaim the King’s Worth
Jesus is continuing His final ascent to Jerusalem. In a few days He will go to the cross. But there are prophecies that need to be fulfilled before that takes place. One is Zechariah 9:9. “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.”
So, Jesus sends two of the disciples into a nearby village with unusual instructions. “When you get into the village, you’ll find a donkey colt tied; a donkey colt that’s never been ridden. Untie him and bring him to me. If anyone questions you, just say ‘The Lord has need of him.’”
The scene unfolds just like Jesus predicted. When the owners asked why they were untying the colt the two disciples simply said, “The Lord needs him.” Suppose for a moment they’d said “Hey, you can’t have the colt; it’s ours.” That would have been their right under the law. But they would’ve missed their moment.
The owners of the colt allowed it to be taken for Jesus’ use. If they hadn’t given permission, I’m sure Jesus would’ve found another donkey. But the question is – am I willing to proclaim Jesus’ worth by allowing Him to use my resources?
So now the disciples have the colt. When they get back to Jesus, they take off some of their outer garments and put them on the back of the donkey. Then they seat Jesus on the colt and continue their...
