Untied for a Purpose: When Jesus Calls What Others Overlooked

Untied for a Purpose: When Jesus Calls What Others Overlooked

There are seasons in life when it feels like you are tied to something you cannot break loose from. Tied to waiting. Tied to disappointment. Tied to a place that feels too small for what God put inside of you. Tied to a season where others seem to be moving, advancing, and being used, while you are still standing in the same place wondering, “Lord, when is it going to be my time?”

But the Word of God shows us something powerful in the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem. Before the crowd shouted, before the coats were laid on the road, before the praise filled the streets, there was a colt tied in a village. That colt was not preaching. It was not performing. It was not being celebrated. It was simply tied.

Yet heaven had already marked it for a purpose.

The message is simple but powerful: you may feel tied right now, but you are not forgotten. You may feel overlooked, but you are not unused. You may feel delayed, but you are not denied. Sometimes what feels like restriction is really reservation.

You were not tied because you were worthless. You were tied because you were reserved for the King.

Main Scripture

Luke 19:35–36 says:

“Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.”

Before this moment, Jesus gave His disciples a very specific instruction. He told them to go into the village, and as they entered, they would find a colt tied, on which no one had ever sat. He told them to loose it and bring it to Him.

That one command changes the whole message:

Loose it and bring it here.

Not loose it so it can wander.
Not loose it so it can show off.
Not loose it so it can prove itself.
Loose it and bring it to Jesus.

That is where purpose begins. Purpose is not just being free from something. Purpose is being freed for Someone.

The Colt Was Tied, But It Was Seen

The colt was tied in a village, but Jesus knew exactly where it was.

That ought to encourage somebody. Just because people do not see you does not mean Jesus does not know where you are. Just because people have not called your name does not mean heaven has forgotten your address.

The colt was not lost.
It was located.
It was not ignored.
It was identified.
It was not useless.
It was chosen.

Jesus told the disciples where to find it before they ever saw it. That means the colt was part of the plan before it ever became part of the parade.

Some of us only celebrate the public moment. We celebrate when people are clapping, when doors are opening, when things are visible, when others can see the blessing. But God does some of His deepest work before anybody else notices.

There is a tied season before there is a triumphal entry.

There is a waiting place before there is a walking place.

There is a quiet village before there is a public road.

You may be in the village right now. You may be in a hidden place, a quiet place, a place where nothing seems to be moving. But do not mistake hidden for forgotten.

The King knows where you are.

The Colt Was Tied, But It Was Not Disqualified

The Bible says this colt was one “on which no one has ever sat.”

That means it had never been used like this before. It had no experience carrying a king. It had no history of being chosen for a holy assignment. It had no proof that it could handle the weight of Jesus riding upon it.

But Jesus did not choose it because of its resume.

He chose it because it was part of God’s plan.

That is good news for anybody who feels unqualified. You may say, “Lord, I have never done this before. I have never carried this kind of responsibility. I have never stepped into this kind of calling. I do not know if I am ready.”

But God does not always call the experienced. Sometimes He calls the available.

Sometimes He does not choose the one everybody expected. Sometimes He chooses the one tied up in the village, overlooked by the crowd, unused by the world, but reserved for His glory.

The colt had never carried a man, but it was about to carry the Messiah.

You may not have carried this kind of assignment before, but that does not mean God cannot use you. You may not have the background someone else has. You may not have the education, the platform, the polish, or the confidence. But when Jesus puts His hand on your life, He can use what others passed by.

Do not disqualify yourself because you are inexperienced.

The question is not, “Have you done this before?”
The question is, “Can Jesus sit on your life?”

The Colt Had to Be Loosed Before It Could Be Used

Jesus said, “Loose it and bring it here.”

There are some things God has to untie before He uses you in the next season.

Some people are tied to fear.
Some are tied to shame.
Some are tied to the opinion of others.
Some are tied to their past.
Some are tied to disappointment.
Some are tied to a version of themselves that God is trying to move them beyond.

And here is the danger: when you have been tied long enough, tied can start to feel normal.

You can be tied and still survive.
You can be tied and still breathe.
You can be tied and still exist.
But you cannot walk fully in purpose while you are still bound to what Jesus came to loose.

That is why the command is so powerful.

Loose it.

Jesus does not just notice what is tied. He sends a word to release it.

There is a difference between being loosened and being lost. God is not setting you free so you can drift. He is setting you free so you can carry His presence into places that need to see Him.

Freedom without surrender becomes wandering.
Freedom with surrender becomes purpose.

The colt was not loosed to run away. It was loosed to come to Jesus.

That is the heart of this sermon. God is not just trying to get you out of something. He is trying to bring you into something. He is not just breaking chains so you can feel better. He is breaking chains so your life can carry His glory.

When Jesus Needs It, Nothing Can Keep It Tied

Jesus told the disciples that if anyone asked, “Why are you loosing it?” they should say, “Because the Lord has need of it.”

That phrase carries weight.

The Lord has need of it.

Not because Jesus lacked power.
Not because Jesus could not walk.
Not because heaven was helpless.

But because God, in His divine plan, chose to use something humble to carry something holy.

That is the pattern of God. He uses ordinary vessels for extraordinary assignments. He uses fishermen to preach. He uses shepherd boys to defeat giants. He uses widows with oil. He uses ravens to feed prophets. He uses a manger to hold the Savior. And here, He uses a colt to carry the King.

When the Lord says, “I have need of it,” everything that held it has to release it.

The rope had to release it.
The owners had to release it.
The village had to release it.
The old assignment had to release it.

Because the King had called for it.

There comes a time when what held you cannot hold you anymore. There comes a time when the word of the Lord steps into your situation and says, “Loose it.” There comes a time when the season that restricted you has to surrender to the purpose that God placed on you.

You were not tied forever.

You were tied until the King called.

The Same Place That Held You Can Become the Place God Calls You From

The colt was found in the village. The same village where it was tied became the place of its calling.

That is powerful because many of us want God to erase the tied season. We want to forget the waiting. Forget the pain. Forget the delay. Forget the place where we felt stuck.

But sometimes God does not waste the place that held you. He uses it as the place He calls you from.

The village may have looked ordinary, but it became part of the story. The tied place became a testimony. The waiting place became a witness.

Do not despise the place where God found you.

Some of the strongest people were found in hard places. Some of the most compassionate people were found in painful places. Some of the most faithful people were found in lonely places. Some of the most anointed people were found in seasons nobody else understood.

What tied you did not finish you.

God can use the place of your struggle as the beginning of your assignment.

Carrying the King Requires Humility

When the colt was brought to Jesus, the disciples threw their clothes on it, and they set Jesus on it.

Then Jesus rode into Jerusalem.

Now think about this: the people were shouting, praising, and laying clothes on the road. But the colt was not the center of worship. Jesus was.

The colt carried the King, but it did not become the king.

That is important.

Purpose is not about making our name great. Purpose is about carrying Jesus well. If God gives you influence, carry Jesus. If God opens a door, carry Jesus. If God gives you a testimony, carry Jesus. If God blesses your business, your family, your ministry, or your calling, carry Jesus.

The colt teaches us that the highest honor is not being celebrated. The highest honor is being used by the King.

We live in a world that wants attention, applause, recognition, and platforms. But the believer’s calling is different. We do not exist to draw people to ourselves. We exist to bring Jesus into view.

The colt did not speak one word, but it preached a message.

It preached humility.
It preached surrender.
It preached availability.
It preached obedience.
It preached, “If the King can use me, then my life has purpose.”

That is enough.

The Road Changed Because Jesus Was on It

Luke says, “And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.”

The road changed when Jesus came through.

But notice, Jesus was riding on what had been tied.

That means the thing nobody noticed in the village became part of the moment everybody remembered on the road.

That is what Jesus does.

He takes what was tied and turns it into testimony.
He takes what was hidden and brings it into purpose.
He takes what was overlooked and places His glory on it.
He takes what looked ordinary and uses it in an extraordinary way.

The road did not become holy because of the colt. The road became significant because Jesus was passing through. But the colt had the privilege of carrying Him.

That is what we should want for our lives.

Lord, let my life carry You into my home.
Let my words carry You into conversations.
Let my work carry You into the marketplace.
Let my testimony carry You into broken places.
Let my obedience carry You where people need hope.

If Jesus is on your life, even ordinary roads can become sacred ground.

You Were Not Tied Because You Were Forgotten

This is the fire phrase of the message:

You were not tied because you were forgotten. You were tied because you were reserved.

That does not mean every painful season was caused by God. It does not mean every chain was holy. It does not mean every delay felt good. But it does mean God is able to redeem what held you and turn it into purpose.

Romans 8:28 reminds us that God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

That means God can take the tied years, the waiting years, the weeping years, the misunderstood years, the hidden years, and work them into a testimony that carries His glory.

You thought you were stuck.

But maybe God was preserving you.
Maybe God was preparing you.
Maybe God was protecting you.
Maybe God was positioning you.

The colt could have looked at the rope and thought, “This is all my life will ever be.” But one word from Jesus changed everything.

Loose it.

And one word from Jesus can still change everything.

Application: What Is God Untying in You?

This message is not just about a colt in Luke 19. It is about your life right now.

What has had you tied?

Is it fear?
Is it regret?
Is it grief?
Is it insecurity?
Is it anger?
Is it comfort?
Is it people’s opinions?
Is it the belief that you are not enough?

There are some things you cannot carry into purpose. There are some ropes that have to come off. There are some labels that have to be broken. There are some old words that have to lose their power.

Jesus is still saying, “Loose it and bring it here.”

Bring your fear here.
Bring your shame here.
Bring your brokenness here.
Bring your past here.
Bring your calling here.
Bring your family here.
Bring your whole life here.

Because whatever Jesus touches, He can use.

The Gospel Connection

This story points us to the greater mission of Jesus.

Jesus entered Jerusalem not to be crowned by men, but to go to the cross for sinners. The crowd shouted praises, but soon He would carry a cross. The King who rode on a colt would become the Savior who died for the world.

He came humble.
He came gentle.
He came obedient.
He came to seek and save the lost.

Jesus did not enter Jerusalem for applause. He entered Jerusalem for redemption.

That means the One who called for the colt is also the One who calls for you. He calls you out of sin. He calls you out of shame. He calls you out of darkness. He calls you out of bondage. He calls you into forgiveness, salvation, purpose, and new life.

The greatest freedom is not just being untied from your past.

The greatest freedom is belonging to Jesus.

Final Charge

You are not useless because you have been tied.

You are not forgotten because you have been hidden.

You are not disqualified because you have never done it before.

The King knows where you are.

And when He calls, what held you has to let you go.

So do not give up in the tied place. Do not quit in the village. Do not assume the waiting season is the end of your story. The same God who saw the colt sees you. The same Jesus who said, “Loose it,” still speaks freedom. The same King who used something humble can use your life for His glory.

You were tied.
But you were not forgotten.

You were waiting.
But you were not wasted.

You were hidden.
But you were not helpless.

You were reserved.

Reserved for purpose.
Reserved for His glory.
Reserved to carry the King.

Key Takeaways

1. Being tied does not mean being forgotten.
2. Jesus knows where you are before people ever notice you.
3. God can use what others overlook.
4. Freedom is not just being released from something; it is being brought to Jesus.
5. Your highest purpose is to carry Christ well.

Application Questions

1. What is one thing that has kept you tied spiritually, emotionally, or mentally?
2. Have you mistaken a hidden season for a forgotten season?
3. What would change if you believed God was preparing you, not wasting you?
4. How can your life carry Jesus more clearly this week?

Call to Action

This week, ask God to show you what He is untying in your life. Do not just pray to be free from something. Pray to be surrendered for something. Let your prayer be, “Lord, loose what has held me, and bring me closer to You.”

Gospel Invitation

If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, today is the day to come to Him. He died on the cross for your sins, rose again, and offers forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. You do not have to stay tied to sin, shame, or separation from God.

Come to Jesus. Trust Him. Surrender your life to Him. The King is calling.