Theme:  Riding with the King

Zechariah 9:9-10 

"Shout and cheer, Daughter Zion! Raise the roof, Daughter Jerusalem! Your king is coming! a good king who makes all things right, a humble king riding a donkey, a mere colt of a donkey. I've had it with war—no more chariots in Ephraim, no more war horses in Jerusalem, no more swords and spears, bows and arrows. He will offer peace to the nations, a peaceful rule worldwide, from the four winds to the seven seas."

Intro:

There is a scene in one of my favorite all time movies where Ferris Bueller, after skipping school and convincing his best friend to take his dads Ferrari out for the day, tries to remove the miles (damage) he has done by driving backwards.  Not only does it not work (obviously) but they end up doing more harm than just adding miles to a classic car, they demolish the entire car by driving through the garage wall.

Many times I believe this is how we choose to control the wheel of our cars in life.  We take control and drive the best, flashiest, and sometimes the most fuel efficient cars in whatever direction we desire until one day life’s struggles and pain are too much.  Then maybe we stop, pull over and begin to let someone else drive the car.  Sometimes we want them to try and go backwards and fix the mess, sometimes we just want our cars to be restored to the new, young shiny version we first bought, and other times maybe we just give up and let go of the wheel for good.

Our King desires for you to come riding with Him today.  His car is not always flashy, it has a lot of miles on it, it can be worn, beaten up, wrecked, and definitely not the newest model around.  It will however last longer than any amount of 100,000 mile warranty vehicles you can acquire.  Riding with the King will not assure you of a clean driving record (you will probably mess things up still occasionally), there are no guarantees you will never wreck (I have some major wrecks especially the past several years), and rest assured you will be passed often by other cars in the fast lane (promotions?, money? houses?, etc) but you are guaranteed the best car/life insurance rate while having all your car debts paid in full for life!  Just imagine: no car payments ever again, full coverage insurance—free, and a chauffeur who will get you where you need to go in the end (maybe not in your timing!).

So, this morning how are you riding?  Are you Riding with the King?  Or are you in the driver’s seat?

- The first idea is buying from The Donkey Motor Company’

- Older Used Car Lifestyle

We think of the donkey as old and beat up, but in the Hebrew life riding a donkey meant someone of affluence/king worthy.  I believe there are times while riding with the King we experience the royalty and majesty of God and then there are times where we ride in the old beat up clunker.

- Giving Up Your Keys

- Lose Control

*** Story:  Lost control of my car at 4:30am on the way to Cincinnati to teach.

-Henri Nouwen Quote from Show Me the Way:

"… I am still so divided. I truly want to follow you, but I also want to follow my own desires and lend an ear to the voices that speak about prestige, success, human respect, pleasure, power, and influence. Help me to become deaf to these voices and more attentive to your voice, which calls me to choose the narrow road to life."

1 Corinthians 10:14 

 14 So, my very dear friends, when you see people reducing God to something they can use or control, get out of their company as fast as you can. 

- Surrender Brings Peace

John 16:31

Jesus answered them, "Do you finally believe? In fact, you're about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I'm not abandoned. The Father is with me. I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world."

Psalm 16:1

Keep me safe, O God, I've run for dear life to you. I say to God, "Be my Lord!" Without you, nothing makes sense.

- I call Shotgun!

Here are some of the benefits of King Style Transportation:
• Free Gas
• Free Insurance
• No Car Payments
• Lifetime warranty
• Guaranteed Maintenance Check-ups
• GPS System included
• Peace of not getting lost/wrong directions

Who has the wheel of your life today?

-Have them write on their Driver’s License handout.
 
Zechariah 9:9-10 (New International Version)

The Coming of Zion's King
 9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
      Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
       See, your king [a] comes to you,
       righteous and having salvation,
       gentle and riding on a donkey,
       on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
 10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
       and the war-horses from Jerusalem,
       and the battle bow will be broken.
       He will proclaim peace to the nations.
       His rule will extend from sea to sea
       and from the River [b] to the ends of the earth. [c]