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So let's start there in Matthew chapter 21, look at verse number 2. And look, I can't help but preach about the lockdowns. I can't help but preach on this topic. I think we need to hear it, we need to be reminded of how we ought to conduct ourselves, what we ought to be thinking, how we ought to be mentally prepared. And, you know, at the moment, just because of the situation we're in, every time I read the Bible, when I find something, it just sounds like, oh, there's another situation of lockdowns. There's something else that can help the church. We're going to be looking here at Matthew 21, look at verse number 2. The title for the sermon this morning is The Locked Down Ass. Okay, The Locked Down Ass. All right, what's an ass? It's a donkey. I know we don't often use that terminology today, but that is what's being referred to in Christ as saying, look, there's an ass, there's a donkey, and I'm going to make use of it. And because of it, of course, God is going to ride, Jesus Christ is going to ride that donkey into Jerusalem, and at the moment, the ass is tied down, okay? And as I was thinking about this story, I was thinking, yes, we are tied down, aren't we? We are tied down, we are locked down, and so I thought it is appropriate to preach on this topic, and once again, the title for the sermon this morning is The Locked Down Ass. Okay, let's start there in verse number 1, let's backtrack a little bit. Matthew 21, verse number 1. So they're coming to Jerusalem, we're coming into the final week of Jesus Christ now, and then which will lead, of course, to his crucifixion, and you may recall that this is pretty much Christ's last significant journey before his crucifixion into Jerusalem, okay? To show himself to be the saviour, to be the sacrificial lamb, his timing is with the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, and so this is the ultimate pinnacle, this is the climax of Christ's ministry, knowing that he's going to be crucified very shortly. Let's keep going, verse number 2. So it's not just a single ass, a single donkey that's there, but also a colt. A colt is a younger male donkey, okay, that's with her, loose them, loose them both, and bring them unto me, and I was thinking about, okay, loose them, well many of us, of course, are locked down with our families, okay? We might have male and female, her, the ass, and the colt there, our he, we're locked down as a family together, and we're tied down, you know, waiting for the time that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to need us. But point number 1 for the sermon this morning is we need to wait to be loosed, wait to be loosed, okay? The ass did not try to loose itself, okay? The ass knew that it had to be tied down until it was needed by Jesus Christ, okay? It waited there patiently. Now the hardest things with these lockdowns, well, maybe it's one of the hardest things, of course, is having to learn patience, learning how to wait. And you know what, there are times, and we read about several times in the Bible, especially in the book of Psalms, in fact, keep your finger there, and go to Psalm, please go to Psalm 40. If you're struggling with the concept of patience and waiting, and being calm during these difficult times, these trying times, let me encourage you to read through the Psalms, okay? The Psalms is the book that mostly, well, when we look at the topic of waiting and being patient, you know, that topic is covered the most in the book of Psalms, okay? And you know what, many times we need to wait. The Lord wants us to wait. The Lord wants us to be tied down. And then there are other times when God wants us to be productive, okay? When we've had all the freedoms to meet in church, the freedoms to go soul-willing, you know what, that's a call to be productive, but some people have not learnt how to wait. Some people have not learnt how to be patient. And the other thing is, for some people, lockdown is a breeze. Why? Because all they do is wait. They never get productive, right? And so we need to be people, we need to be Christians that have a balance of both. We know when to be productive, we know when to take action, we know when it's time to serve the Lord, but we also need to learn when is it time to wait upon the Lord. And right now, Reverend, the government has tied us down, okay, with a lockdown ass, as it were, okay, hopefully you have a few cults with you, you have some other members of the family to be able to fellowship with and be at home, but we need to learn what it is to wait. Now look at Psalm 40 verse number 1, Psalm 40 and verse number 1. As I said to you, point number 1 is wait to be loosed. Psalm 40 verse number 1 reads, You see, when the psalmist finds that he's in a period of time where he needs to wait, he says he waited patiently for the Lord. And, brethren, lockdown is an opportunity for you to learn patience. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit or long suffering, okay? Now look, you're at home, okay, you're tied down at home, and I know you can get fidgety and, you know, frustrated, but notice what the psalmist says, okay? He's not locked down in the house. He says he brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay. Brethren, you're not in a horrible pit, you're not in a miry clay. You say, well, you know, illustratively I am, you know? I feel like I am, you might say. Well, you know what, for those of you who have been listening to my series for Jeremiah, you may remember that Jeremiah was literally and physically in a pit, okay? Literally in a dungeon where it was so boggy, the ground was so miry, that he was caught there, he was trapped, he couldn't get out, okay? Now how would you like to be locked down in a dungeon like that? Literally in a miry pit. You know, most of us, we still have the comforts of our home, we still have our lounge room, we still have the internet, we still have our books, we still have our Bibles, listen, we have our families, okay? And no, what is it like to be tied down in a miry place, okay? Well, you know, we don't have, well, you know, we can get frustrated, but as I've been saying, things can be vastly worse, okay? And even in this situation, the psalmist is able to say, I waited patiently for the Lord. Now, as he waited patiently for the Lord, was he just doing nothing? You know, did the psalmist subscribe to Netflix and to Disney Plus and to Stan, what else is there? And to Amazon Prime, is that what the psalmist did? Has he waited patiently on the Lord? Did he subscribe to all these things and, you know, feast his eyes upon things that satisfy the flesh? No, what does he do as he waits patiently on the Lord? It says in verse number one, and he inclined unto me and heard my cry. So while he's waiting patiently, he is crying upon the Lord. He's crying to the Lord. He's praying to the Lord. And the Bible says the Lord inclined unto me. The Lord heard his prayers, okay? The Lord stooped down to the psalmist and listened to what he had to say. You know, if we want to get out of this lockdown sooner, we need to cry to the Lord and for the Lord to incline his ear upon us. You know, if we're just spending our time, wasting our time, doing nothing, being unproductive, being lazy, you know, eating chips on the couch while you watch some movie, you know what, why is the Lord going to incline his ear unto you? Why would he lift the lockdown earlier and untie us? Why would he do that? No, we need to be people that are crying unto the Lord. Can you please go to Psalm 37, just back a few psalms? Go to Psalm 37, verse number 7. Psalm 37, verse number 7. I found out this morning, unless I've been misled by Facebook, but it looked official that we know that for many of you that are in the construction industry, at least here in Sydney, we've got those specific LGAs in western Sydney, southwest Sydney, where if you're a construction worker, you can't go out and work, right? You're locked down. You can't go and you're not considered an essential worker. Well, now apparently they're going to allow construction workers in these LGAs to go back to work. On the condition, on the only condition that you're vaccinated, okay? So it's basically you either have to be vaccinated or you don't go to work and you don't earn a paycheck, okay? I mean, our freedoms are being removed from us. They're being taken away from us, okay? We're feeling tied down and locked down. And when we see the wickedness of our freedoms being taken away, when you see the wickedness of vaccination, instead of being optional, hey, let it be optional, you know? But instead of it being optional, they're mandating, they're forcing people. Well, they won't use the word mandate. The prime minister recently came out saying, well, we can't force it. But then what? Don't force it, but don't go to work, you know? Don't go to work unless you take it. You know, that sounds pretty much being mandated just in a different way, okay? And so we can get maybe frustrated. We can get very anxious about these things, especially if you're in those industries. I mean, I don't know what other industries may be affected, but I want you to notice Psalm 37 and verse number 7. Psalm 37, verse number 7, it says, Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Notice the next words. Fret not thyself. What does it mean to fret? You know, to be unstable, anxious, right? Frustrated, you know? It says, Fret not thyself because of Him who prospereth in His way because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. And brethren, vaccinations, especially forced vaccinations, mandated vaccinations, are wicked devices that our governments are making to pass. All right? And you can fret or you don't. Bible says don't fret. Wait patiently for Him. Rest in the Lord, right? These people that are forcing the vaccinations, it says about them, Fret not thyself because of Him who prospereth in His way. You know why they're forcing these vaccinations? Because there are people that prosper from this, okay? There are people that make big bucks, billions of dollars, the medical, you know, industry. They're making billions of dollars and they need these things injected in people's arms, okay? Now, once again, let me just make it very clear. If you say to me, Pastor, I'm going to take it. Are you upset with me? I'm not upset with you, okay? You have freedom, okay? You choose whatever it is that you want to choose, right? When God created Adam and Eve, He put them in the Garden of Eden, He said you can eat of every tree except that one tree, okay? But then what do they do? Could they still eat of that one tree, the knowledge of fruit, the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Of course they could. They still went and ate it. They still had freedom. They still had liberty to decide what they wanted to do, okay? At the end of the day, brethren, you know where I stand on this topic, but it's your choice. It's up to you what you want to do, okay? I'm not upset with you. I'm not angry with you. It's between you and God what you decide to do. But for those that are holding back and saying, no, I'll never take that jab. I'll never take that poison in my arm. Well, don't fret yourself, okay? What do you have to do? You say, well, I need to work. I need to put food on my table. What do I do, Pastor? As it's said there in verse number seven, rest in the Lord. You've got to find rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. You know, it's easier said than done. You know, I'm not just coming here and trying to give you my advice. I'm not even trying to give you my advice. My job is to give you the Word of God. And this is what God's Word says, to rest and to wait patiently for Him. And don't forget, while you're waiting patiently, make sure you'll cry, you'll request your prayers being projected toward the Lord. Please go to Psalm 123, Psalm 123, verse number two. Psalm 123, verse number two. As I said, there are times that we need to wait. Wait patiently, okay? Learn patience. Learn how to suffer long. Psalm 123, verse number two. It says, Behold, as the eyes of the servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, So we know this time, you know, people had servants, and what it's saying here is that servants look upon the hand of their masters. They're waiting, okay, you know, I'm waiting and I'm ready. You know, when you tell me what I need to do, I'll do it, okay? That's the job of a servant. Well, let's keep going. It says, So our eyes, our eyes, wait upon the Lord our God until that He have mercy upon us. So while we're waiting, we need to set our eyes upon the Lord our God, okay? Don't set your eyes upon all the conspiracy videos. Don't set your eyes upon all the videos about the vaccinations, okay? Don't fill your mind with all this stuff. It's not going to give you rest. It's not going to give you peace. Set your eyes upon the Lord until that He might have mercy upon us. What mercy are we looking for? To be let go, to be set free, right? Right now, we are the locked down ass and we want to be let go. We want to be set free. Verse number three says, Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we are exceedingly filled with contempt. What is the word contempt? What does that mean? Contempt means basically being worthless or dishonored. You know, if you have contempt for somebody, you're basically saying, They're worthless. I don't care about that person, right? You don't respect that person at all. Well, this person, as they're waiting upon the Lord, they're feeling like they're contempt. And, you know, yeah, we kind of feel worthless. For many of us that are unable to go to work, don't you feel worthless? Don't you feel unproductive? Well, the Bible tells us once again, you know, wait upon the Lord, wait upon Him patiently. Set your eyes upon the Lord as a servant will set his eyes upon the Master. And the last verse that I'm going to read to you, Proverbs 20-22. You don't need to turn there. And this is important. Proverbs 20-22. Say not thou, I will recompense evil. Okay? So we know that there's a lot of evil being forced down our throats, right? There's a lot of evil in this world today. But say not thou, I will recompense evil. It's not your job to get revenge, brethren, okay? It says here, but, what do we do instead? But wait on the Lord and He shall save thee. Okay? So we need, listen, I'm just preaching you the Word of God. I know it's extremely tempting, okay, to fight, to protest, okay, to just face down the cops. But brethren, it says here, say not thou, I will recompense evil. Don't say it to yourself, okay? But wait on the Lord and He shall save thee. So brethren, while you're tied down, while you're locked down ass, just wait patiently on the Lord, okay? Be prepared for the time that the Master's going to have a need for you. Can you please go to, back to Matthew 21. Go to Matthew 21 and verse number 3. Matthew 21 verse number 3. It says, these are the words of Christ, of course. If any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, yeah, sorry, I'll read number 3 again. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, the Lord hath need of them. And straightway, he will send them. Point number 2, brethren, is the Lord has need of you. The Lord has need of you, okay? You're tied down at the moment, okay? But the time is going to come when the Lord will need you, okay? Though that ass was tied down, so it could, you know, triumphantly bring Christ into Jerusalem, okay? But the time was not yet while they were tied down, but soon Christ would have a need for them. And so He sends His disciples to untie that ass and that colt, okay? But point number 2, brethren, the Lord has need of you. Don't forget that. While you're tied down, while you're locked down, you may feel you're completely unproductive. Lord, what do you want from my life? Listen, the Lord has need for you. So get ready, okay? Get ready for the time that Christ will unleash, okay? Will let you go free, will take down these lockdowns, and we have the freedom to move. Be ready for that, okay? Because the Lord certainly has need of you. Can you please turn to Titus? Keep your finger there in Matthew once again. Turn to Titus chapter 2. Turn to Titus chapter 2. And I'm going to read to you from 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 15. You go to Titus chapter 2. I'll read to you from 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 15, okay? Knowing that the Lord has need for you, while you're tied down, while you're locked down, knowing that the Lord has need for you, what do you do? You need to prepare yourself, okay? You need to be ready for the time that Christ lets you go free. Verse number 15, it says, 1 Peter 3, 15. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks of you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. You know what our job is, brethren? Is to be ready always. So while we're locked down, now's not the time to get lazy, okay? Now's not the time to get comfortable on the couch watching the Netflix. Our time is a time that God has given us to be prepared, okay? To be closer to the Lord than ever before. To learn the Bible like we've never learned it before. To be ready, okay? To give an answer to every man that asks of you a reason of the hope that is in you. Brethren, are you able to answer every man? If anybody comes to you and asks you, why are you so hopeful? I hope you're hopeful. I hope people can see you in lockdown and they see a smile on your face. I hope people see you in lockdown and say, why is this person so cheerful? Why is he so happy? And you know why? Because I'm happy because I know the Lord needs me. I know the Lord has use for me. And God has given me this time to get ready for him, and I'm prepared for him. And if they ask you, who is this Lord? How do you know? Well, you can then, of course, give them the gospel message. You can give them the story of salvation. But we need to be ready always to give an answer for the hope that is in us. Titus chapter 2, verse number 15. Titus chapter 2, verse number 15. These things speak. So Titus is a church pastor. He's been instructed, you know, Titus, the book of Titus, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, these are instruction books for the pastor, okay? So the pastor's been told, these things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. So let's continue Titus chapter 3, verse number 1. So what things are there to speak? It says, verse number 1, Put them in mind, or put them in remembrance, if you want to put it that way, put it in your mind to be subject, that means submissive, okay, to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates. Say, I can't do it, pastor. I can't remain locked down. How is it that I need to obey these magistrates and all the people with authority? It's a pastor's job to teach his church to do this, okay? But notice what the next words are. To be ready to every good work. Brethren, I know we're locked down and I've called for your obedience because I'm a female pastor. No, because I'm a pastor that preaches God's word, okay? Because I'm a pastor that respects God's word over the authorities. But you know what? When God's word says be submissive under the authorities, then that's what I have to preach, okay? If I just preach my heart out, you're not going to receive God's word and I'd rather quit as a pastor, I'd rather quit as a preacher if I'm not going to preach God's word. But what are we meant to do? Okay, we're locked down, we've been obedient. Okay, well, be ready to every good work. God's going to unleash you at some point, okay? Are you ready? Are you ready to be more productive for God than you've ever been before? Well, now's the time to get ready. Use the time wisely, okay? Wait patiently upon the Lord. Verse number 2 says, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men. See, God has a purpose for us to touch upon the lives of all men that we come across. But we need to be ready for that every good work. And God has given us this opportunity of being locked down this time, valuable time right now, brethren, to use it to get ready for God's work, okay? The ass was ready. I hope you're smarter than an ass and use your time wisely, okay? And yeah, the Lord has need for you, remember that, okay? Don't get discouraged, don't get cast down. Change your perspective on things and say God has given me time so I can get ready to do greater works for God than I've ever done before. I'm going to read from 2 Timothy, another pastoral epistle, 2 Timothy 2, verse number 15, very familiar passage to many of you, I'm sure, which says, Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. So what are we meant to be doing during this time of lockdown? Study, okay? Study, yeah. You know what, if you need to upskill, you know, just recently I saw that TAFE NSW, if you're from NSW, is offering free courses. You know what, do them. If they're free courses, upskill, gain some wisdom, gain some knowledge, okay? Improve your skill sets. You might be able to get a better position, a better job after lockdown, okay? Hey, study, use the time, but not just study that. Study the word of God. Study to show thyself approved unto God, right? A workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. God wants us using his time to study the word of God. Then it says in verse number 16, but shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness. You know, we all have a measure of profane and vain babblings. You say, no, Pastor Kevin, I'm always speaking perfect things. No, we all say stupid things, okay? I'm sure we all believe certain doctrines that aren't even biblical, okay? It's just vain and profane babblings. Well, you know how you overcome that, okay? You know how you get smarter? You know how you speak with more wisdom? You study the word of God, okay? You study the word of truth, rightly dividing God's word, and you've got the opportunity now, okay? You've got the opportunity now to read more Bible, to study God's word more than you've ever have before. Actually, if I can get you to turn to 2 Timothy, please. I should have got you to turn there already, but 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2 Timothy chapter 2, please. And drop down to verse number 20. 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse number 20. It says, but in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver. Reverend, let me just stop there for a moment. Do you look at your life as a vessel unto God? You know, this is my vessel right now for water, okay? And it's a plastic cup. They're trying to do away with plastic cups these days, okay? And it's useful, okay? It can be used. But it's not a vessel of gold and silver, is it? It's not very pretty, okay? It doesn't really brighten up the place, okay? It kind of seems out of place a little bit, right? With this beautiful wooden pulpit and then this, you know, cheap plastic cup. You know, God does not want us to be just a cheap plastic cup, okay? He wants us to be a vessel of gold and of silver. Let's keep reading. But also of wood and of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Verse number 21. If any man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use. Meet means suitable. You're ready. You're suitable for the master's use. Look at this. And prepared unto every good work. Brethren, it's time to sanctify ourselves, okay? It's time to clean up our lives, to overcome the temptations of the flesh, to overcome the sins in our life. Sanctify your body. Cleanse yourself from these things, okay? So you can be a cup, a vessel of gold and silver, right? Meet for the master's use. Hey, what kind of cup? If Christ came to your house and you had a golden or silver cup to serve him or you had a cheap plastic one, which one would you serve him with? Boy, I'd take out the gold, okay? I'd take out the most precious thing that I have to serve my Lord Jesus Christ. Well, you're that vessel. You are that vessel, you know? Are you going to sanctify? Are you going to cleanse your life from the wickedness, the sins that you have? Ready for the master's use? Meet for the master's use? Prepared unto every good work? That's what we should be doing during this time, sanctifying ourselves, being ready. Meet for the master's use. Hey, that ass was ready for the master's use. And I want to see you improve. I want to see you go from being a plastic cup to a silver cup or a golden cup. Use this time, okay, wisely. Back to Matthew 21, please. Matthew 21, verse number 4. Matthew 21, verse number 4. Matthew 21, verse number 4. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of an ass. Now, I'm going to quickly read to you the passage in Zechariah, chapter 9, verse 9, where this comes from. When it says in verse number 4, which was spoken by the prophet, the prophet is Zechariah, okay? So in Zechariah 9, 9, it says, Rejoice greatly. What are you doing during lockdown? Are you whining, complaining, or rejoicing greatly? I hope you can say, Well, I'm rejoicing greatly, pastor. Praise God, I hope you are, because I'm not all the time. You know, I've got to confess my faults. I'm not always rejoicing greatly, okay? But that's what we should be doing. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, thy king cometh unto thee. He is just, and having salvation. Then it says, Lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. Okay? So what Zechariah 9, 9 confirms, is that Christ, and you know, you may have misunderstood this period where Christ would come upon a donkey. It's Jerusalem. He did not ride upon one. He rode upon the ass, and he rode upon the colt, okay? As it said there in Zechariah 9, 9, lowly, Christ came humbly, okay? He didn't look for the powerful horse. Hey, the ass was sufficient. And brethren, if you're honest enough, you can say, well, you know what? I'm an ass sometimes. Well, you know what? You're sufficient, okay? You can be used by God, right? Lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon the colt, the foal of an ass, okay? So what's your next point? Point number three, brethren, is that teamwork is required. Teamwork is required. There were two animals, okay? The ass and the colt, that were used by Christ to ride into Jerusalem. It wasn't just one. We need to learn to work together. The third point that I have for you, brethren, is that teamwork is required. Can you please keep your finger there and go to John chapter 4? Turn to John chapter 4, verse number 36. John chapter 4 and verse number 36. If teamwork is required, then we need to be praying for one another. Praise God if you're part of a church, okay? Praise God if you're part of a good church, because you know you can work together to magnify the Lord, to praise the Lord, to give him his necessary worship. You know, right now, if you're tuning into the live stream, we are, in a sense, working together, even though we're tied down. Hey, I can song lead from here, of course the songs. If you're singing praise unto the Lord, hey, we're magnifying the Lord, we're praising the Lord, we're doing it together, all right? But even better than live stream and being separated in a sense is of course being together in church, coming together as a church, because then we can obviously be sent, go out two by two, preach in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's important that we consider the other brothers and sisters in the Lord that might be locked down as we are, okay? Struggling as we are and praying for each other, because we need each other. We need to work together. John chapter 4, verse number 36. John chapter 4, verse number 36. It says, It says, You see, sometimes you go out and you sow the seed of the word of God, right? You go and you plant seeds, but you may not see anybody saved. Well, the Lord is saying that there are others that will trample on the same ground that you trampled, but this time they're gonna be able to water it and reap, reap the harvest, see someone saved. You know what? We should never be people that say, well, I did all the sowing. This person seems to be doing all the reaping. You know why? It's not fair, Lord. No, it's fine, okay? We rejoice together. We work together. Look at verse number 37. It's awesome when you sow and you reap at once, right? When people are low hanging fruit, they're ready to be saved. Hey, that's wonderful as well. But many times, you're gonna be doing the sowing, someone else, another will be doing the reaping, okay? Look at verse number 38. You see, it's important that we continue to understand that serving Christ is a teamwork effort. Never have this attitude that I'm only the one serving the Lord. Why aren't the others in church serving the Lord? I'm out there sowing. Where are all the other sowing winners? Never have the attitude because we work together. We're laboring together. You know, some people really love our church, both New Life Baptist Church and Blessed Hope Baptist Church. Praise God. I'm glad you love it, okay? But I get very uncomfortable when I hear things like, you know what, this is the only church serving God in Australia. This is the only church preaching faithfully. I can't find any other preachers. You're the only pastor that says the right things and the true things. And I know it's hard to find others, but I never take that. I get uncomfortable because I'm a product of teamwork. I'm a product of other churches. I'm a product of other pastors that have taught me great things, other pastors that have taught me soul winning, other pastors that have taught me the great doctrines of God's Word and brethren, I'm not acting like a lone ranger, okay? I've had others that have influenced me and I'm just working, I'm just as it was here, laboring upon, I've entered into the labors of others, okay? I've entered, you know, other men have done great work to preach God's Word faithfully. I'm not just talking about online preachers. I'm talking about pastors in Australia, pastors in Sydney have helped me become the pastor that I am today, okay? Whether they want to claim me or not claim me is irrelevant, okay? Because at the end of the day, it's God's Word that has helped me to be a pastor that loves the church, okay? New life of the church, blessed up by the church, I love you guys, all right? But never take the attitude that we're the only ones. No, there are plenty of other Christians, okay? Teamwork is required. Remember this, teamwork is required. I'll quickly read to you from Ecclesiastes, chapter 4, verse number 9, which says, Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. Reverend, you know, I understand that Australia has a hard heart. Let's never forget that we have descendants, we have children, okay? There's going to be a next generation in our churches. Listen, our children need us to be faithfully strong. Our children need us to be preaching them or teaching them God's Word. Our children need us to bring them to church, okay? They're going to be the future generations, and hopefully, as we labor hard and sow God's Word in Australia, maybe it's our next generation that's going to be doing the great reaping, okay? But they're going to enter into the labors that we've worked on. If we don't work, if we don't labor hard for the Lord, then it's going to be hard for them as well, okay? To serve God in a greater capacity. But two are better than one. This is why our practice, when we go door-to-the-soul winning, is to send two, okay? We say, well, at the moment, I'm not door-to-the-soul winning Pastor Kevin. Say, yeah, yeah, I know. You're a locked down ass, okay? That's the title of the sermon this morning. But again, prepare yourself. Get ready, all right? Now you're going to remember or appreciate the opportunities you have when you have greater freedom to go soul winning, okay? I'm hoping that when you are released from lockdown that you appreciate your time more than you ever have before, you appreciate your freedoms more than you ever have before, and that you do more soul winning than you've ever done before, okay? But use this time to get ready, to wait patiently upon the Lord, okay? And for the Lord to do great work in your life. I also want to read from Romans 12, verse number 5. Romans 12, verse number 5. It says, Church is so important because church is the body of Christ. We need everybody present. Again, maybe we took for granted the freedoms of meeting in church. Yeah, church will be available next week. I'll miss out this week. Listen, we're all members one of another, okay? We make up the body of Christ. Please be faithful to church services. Be faithful to being in church. We need you, okay? The Lord needs you, all right? We need to be together so we can faithfully serve God as one body. Please don't take church for granted in the future. Back to Matthew 21 and verse number 6. Matthew 21, verse number 6. So we have the ass and the coat brought to Jesus. They put some clothes on these animals, okay? So it's like a seat, okay? Christ did not have a nice... Actually, what are they called? The seats that you put on a horse on a... Saddle. Saddle, yeah. Christ did not have a nice saddle. It was just the clothes. They put the clothes on the donkeys and they sat Jesus Christ on it, okay? Point number 4, brethren, yeah, point number 4 that I have for you this morning is put on the right garments, okay? Put on the right garments as, you know, the donkey could not be sat upon until they put some clothes on the donkey or a saddle, as it were, right? On the donkey. And that's going to be useful for Christ, of course. So we need to make sure that we put on the right garments so we can be useful for Jesus Christ. Can you please turn to Ephesians chapter 4? Ephesians chapter 4. Keep your finger there in Matthew 21. Go to Ephesians chapter 4, please, and verse number 20. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse number 20. Put on the right garments and as it is, one of my favorite things to preach about in church is the battle between the old man and the new man, the flesh and the spirit, okay? And just a reminder, and I've preached on this many times, so I won't go into this point too deeply, but Ephesians 4.20 says, But ye have not so learned Christ. If so, be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus. That ye, look at this, put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. You know what we're being commanded to do? To put something off. You know, right, let's pretend this jacket represents the old man. It says that ye put off concerning the former conversation. This is not how you get saved. This is not talking about salvation. We're already in Christ Jesus. The apostle is writing to the Ephesian church He says, look, there's something that you need to take off, okay? That old man, right? If we don't take off the old man, we're not useful for Christ. It says that ye put off concerning the former conversation. That's your former lifestyle, your former behaviours. Hey, we ought to be changed people. We ought to be living for Christ. It says, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. That old man is corrupt. How can you serve God with a corrupt flesh, okay? What's the answer? Say, do we take off this flesh somehow? We can't take it off, right? But spiritually we can take it off. How do we do that? Well, look at verse number 23. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. So, what do we, the work of taking something off does not come physically in this flesh where you've got to beat this body up or something and say, hey, stop sinning, right? Stop sinning. No, no, no. It's up here, okay? The work is done in the mind. Then it keeps going, verse number 24. And that you put on the new man. Let's pretend this is another jacket, okay? Not putting back the old man on, but let's pretend it's a new man, right? That you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, okay? So, we need to work on this mind. All the filthy thoughts, all the things that you feed this brain, okay? You're either sowing to the flesh or you're sowing to the spirit. You're either sowing to the old man or you're sowing to the new man, okay? You keep this mind on spiritual matters, on godly things, on righteous things, on sanctifications. It's as if you're putting on that new man, all right? And it's that new man is created in righteousness and true holiness. If God wants us to use us, brethren, we need to be used at full capacity, all right? We need to make sure that we put on the right garments, we put on the right clothes. Even the ass needed the right clothes before Christ could ride upon him. Now, one thing that I think is quite interesting, a little bit off topic, but I think it's just interesting about this issue. If you can please turn to Genesis 49. Genesis 49. This is more just some interesting facts. It doesn't really tie into the wholesome, okay? But go to Genesis 49 verse number 10. Because in Genesis 49, Because in Genesis 49, we get a very cryptic prophecy of Christ riding upon this ass and the colt, okay? And these are words that have been prophesied very, very early, all right, about Christ. And it says in Genesis 49 verse number 10, So we know that Christ, of course, was from the tribe of Judah, okay? This is actually speaking about Jesus Christ. It says, Shiloh is a reference to Jesus Christ. Look at verse number 11. You say, what's that? Why is he tying this ass and this colt to a vine? A grape vine. Well, it says here, Notice the wording that is used here, okay? So the wine here is the blood of grapes. Now, we know that many times the Bible refers to, you know, grapes, symbolic of blood. And of course, that's the blood of grapes. So we know that as Christ took that ass and that colt, he would travel into Jerusalem, and that would ultimately lead him to his crucifixion, the shedding of his blood, all right? Now, go to Revelation chapter 19. Go to Revelation chapter 19 and verse number 11. And one day in the future, brethren, Christ is coming back not on an ass, but on a horse, okay? Not lowly on an ass, but mighty, a mighty warrior on a war horse, all right? And that's in Revelation chapter 19, verse number 11. Revelation chapter 19 and verse number 11. And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself. Look at verse number 13. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. Who's the Word of God? Jesus Christ. When he comes back, he's coming in a vesture that is dipped in blood, of course referencing the blood that he sacrificed, that he shed as the sacrifice for our sins. I just thought it was interesting, okay? Because there's come a time when he will ride on the white horse, okay? But at the time being, brethren, we are the lockdown ass, okay? You might have this desire to go and fight and win Australia and take down the wicked government, but brethren, that time is not yet. That time will come. Don't worry about it, okay? Christ is going to come victorious on those white horses, and we're going to be riding with him, victoriously. But now's not the time, okay? Christ came humbly, he came lowly. His vesture, as it were, in blood. And of course, you know, salvation is making sure that the same vesture of Jesus Christ is upon us. You know, the coat was clothed, yes, you know. And we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. If you're saved, if you've trusted Christ as Savior, you've got that blood-soaked garment upon you, okay? The blood of Jesus Christ has been applied to you. But not only that, okay, we need to, in service for God, make sure that we put on the right garments, the new man, okay? The new man has been given to us, that born-again spirit, by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Back to Matthew 21, verse number 8. Matthew 21, verse number 8, which says, And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way. Others cut down branches from the trees, and straw them in the way. This is where you get that tradition of Palm Sunday, okay? So people are putting down branches, palms, another gospel mentions that they are palms, okay? And clothing, okay? It's kind of like rolling out the royal carpet, right? Christ having, you know, a red carpet, right? With gold linings, no. It's just people's clothing, it's just branches that people could find on a tree, okay? But they are reverenced in Him as the King, coming into Jerusalem. Verse number 9. So brethren, Christ is coming, victoriously, right? Humbly, lowly, and ultimately to His death, okay? And He's riding upon the ass, okay? His ass is getting the message out, okay? The ass, the cult, is magnifying the Lord. The fifth point that I have for you, brethren, is that Christ is to be magnified, okay? Christ is to be magnified. Yes, we can do the work. We can, as it were, take Christ city to city. You know, this ass took Christ to Jerusalem. It's our job of blessing our Baptist Church to take Christ to Sydney. If you're on the Sunshine Coast, it's your job to take Christ to the Sunshine Coast, okay? But at the end of the day, it's Christ who is magnified, right? We don't go there in pride. We don't go out there showing just how holy and faithful we are. Our job is to make sure that we proclaim and magnify Jesus Christ to others. This is why we need to be like that ass, lowly and humble, as we go door to door, knocking those doors. Once again, that time will come. Don't worry, okay? Wait patiently. Be tied up. Be the lockdown ass. Be ready. Be ready, okay, to be let loose, but to remain humble, ready for the master's use, so you can magnify the Lord Jesus Christ. The fifth point. Christ is to be magnified. Please go to Philippians chapter 1. You can turn away from Matthew 21 now. Please go to Philippians chapter 1. We're near the end. Philippians chapter 1, verse number 20. Say, Pastor Kevin, what if I die in lockdown? What if I never get loosed? What if this continues like it was, you know, in Jeremiah's day, the captivity of 70 years? What if this continues and we just cannot be used productively for the Lord? Christ is still to be magnified, okay? Look at Philippians chapter 1, verse number 20. But that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body. Why do you have a body that's walking this earth? The purpose is that we can magnify God in this body. Then it says, whether it be by life, that's ideal, right, that we can be loosed and be used in life, but then it says all by death, okay? Verse number 21. To live is Christ and to die is gain. Have that attitude, brethren. It's so hard to have that attitude, isn't it? What if I die from COVID? What if I die from the vaccinations? And to die is gain. What? But you know what? While we're alive, hey, for me to live is Christ. Magnify God in your body. So how can I magnify God right now even though I'm locked down, tied down? I can't be in church. I can't go soul-winning. As I said, hey, well, lift your hearts, your mouths of praises unto the Lord, okay? Use your body to magnify the Lord, to praise the Lord. Hey, start learning some new hymns, okay? Get ready to come and sing and be a better singer, be someone that's better at praising God than you've ever had before. Hey, use your body to study and show yourself approved unto God, okay? A workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Hey, you be that person. Use your body to magnify God during lockdown. Hey, and if we get released, if we get to go free, then magnify God as well. So if I die, well, to die is gain, okay? Sounds pessimistic, but it's true. You know, we die. We're in the presence of the Lord. We're going to continue serving the Lord. We're going to continue to praise the Lord, even in heaven. God still has use for us, even in heaven. Colossians chapter 1, please. We'll end on this one. Colossians chapter 1, verse number 17. Colossians chapter 1, verse number 17. Colossians 1, 17. Not that we need to be reminded of this because we all know that Christ has the preeminence, but Colossians 1, 17 says, And he, speaking of Christ, is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he, by the way, before I read that, by him all things consist. You know what? If Christ wanted to bring an end to the lockdown right now, he would do it, okay? By him all things consist. It's all in control of Jesus Christ, brethren, all right? I mean, let's be encouraged by this. I know I'm probably repeating myself in many sermons, but as I said, I can't help but preach about lockdown because I know we're suffering. When I talk to you guys, you're suffering in different ways, all right? But look at verse number 18. Yes, even in lockdown. Even while you're the lockdown ass, even while you're tied down at home, it says in all things he might have the preeminence. You know what? We need to make sure that Christ comes first, not just in church, not just in soul winning, but that Christ comes first in our homes. And I think if we're all honest, we can all improve in our homes. We can all give Christ more preeminence. Maybe we've been caring too much for ourselves, okay? Hey, but it's time for us to give God Christ all the worship, all the praise. He's our savior, okay? He deserves to be put first in your life. Is Christ first in your life? So it's been hard because I've not been at church. Hey, he can be first in your house. He can be first in your family. Put him first. Make sure that if you have children, you teach them about Jesus Christ during these troubling days, all right? You know, educate your kids on the Bible. Educate your kids on this wicked world so they can be ready and prepared, ready for the master's use. All right, brethren, let me just conclude those five points right now. A lot of us are the lockdown ass. That's what we are, okay? Let's remain humble about it. That's what we are. But number one, wait to be loosed. Number two, don't forget that the Lord has need of you. Number three, don't forget that teamwork is required. Number four, put on the right garments. And number five, Christ is to be magnified. Okay, let's pray.