Keith Battle - It Is Written - Part 5

Palm Sunday is the day when we celebrate and remember Jesus’s arrival, as described in John 12, where he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. This day marks the beginning of Passion Week. When he entered Jerusalem, he was on a donkey, and in response to his arrival, the people shouted, «Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.» It’s interesting not only because of the moment but also because he rode in on a donkey, which symbolizes humility, sacrifice, and suffering. In a few days, he would give his life for us and for the sins of the world. This is the exact opposite of his second coming described in Revelation 19, where he will not be on a donkey. The Bible states that he will be on a horse, representing dominion, authority, and power. He’s coming to take over and to proclaim war. We can learn from Jesus; every Christian needs both a donkey and a horse because you need to know how to show up. You need to know how to pull up. Jesus is not returning on a donkey at the second coming, and he didn’t ride in on a horse into Jerusalem in John chapter 12 because he understood his assignment. How you show up somewhere should be based on your understanding of your assignment. You shouldn’t always show up the same way. If your assignment is to be quiet and humble, then you don’t need to come in throwing your weight around or running your mouth; that means you’re showing up on a horse when you should be on a donkey. If you are assigned to lead and stand up in a situation, you should not be trying to be quiet and invisible. Know how to show up; show up the right way. That was free. Now let me go to the word for the day. I am going to conclude. It is written: the power of writing vision. Our vision today is part five, and my goal is to conclude it today, but I want to be sensitive to whatever God’s plan is. My plan is to conclude today, and I want to return to Exodus chapters three and four to examine a couple of things in Moses’s life that we can apply to our own lives. I want to close our time by sharing a couple of tools that I personally use when it comes to writing down a vision for my life, which may be helpful to you. The first thing I want to point out is a statement Moses makes in Exodus 3:4. When you compare it to something he says in Exodus 4:13, it creates a dichotomy that I believe is a problem for many of us, and Moses represents this struggle well. Let me explain. In Exodus chapter 3, he is wandering as he leads sheep far away. He takes them as far as he can and sees a bush that is burning but not being consumed. From the bush, God calls him and says, «Moses, Moses.» Throughout this series, I have pointed out that this was his call. «Moses,» your name means «drawn out»; I drew you out, and now I want you to draw the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. Moses, I want you to be for someone else what I’ve been for you. When the call came to Moses, his initial response was, «Here I am.» God says, «Moses, Moses,» and he replies, «Here I am.» I want you to understand that this is far more than just a geographical answer; it’s an answer of availability. «Here I am; I’m Yours, Lord. Everything I’ve got, everything I am, everything I’m not—I’m Yours, Lord. Try me now and see if I can be completely Yours. I’m Yours; at Your service, Lord; your wish is my command.» He is so reverent in this moment that verse 5 states he removes his shoes at God’s command, and verse 6 indicates that he was so reverent that he covered his face, declaring that he couldn’t even look at God. Initially, he acted with this reverence, but watch the shift in his attitude once he learned what God was calling him to do. All of that changed to protest after protest, excuse after excuse, and we go from «Here I am; I’m available; I’m Yours"—"My storage is empty, and I am available to You"—to Exodus 4:13, where he says, «Please pick somebody else but not me.» The challenge is that Moses is a great example of many of us who follow Jesus. We want the benefits of a relationship with God but don’t want the burden of God’s call on our lives. I’ll say it again: we like the benefits of our relationship with God. «Lord, I’m writing it down; I want a new house; I want a…»