A Palm Sunday Promise And Warning

“A PALM SUNDAY PROMISE AND WARNING”

Matthew 10.22; 24.13; Mark 13.13

Today is Palm Sunday, the week every year observed one week before Easter Sunday’s celebration of the Lord Jesus Christ’s bodily resurrection from the dead, three days and nights following His death by crucifixion for sins. Of course, Easter Sunday is our glorious memorial of Christ’s triumph over sin, death, Hell, and the grave. But what is Palm Sunday? Fewer people, even those who observe Palm Sunday, are familiar with what Palm Sunday is all about and why it is an occasion of rejoicing.

After giving sight to blind Bartimaeus and his friend outside Jericho[1] and dining with the publican named Zacchaeus,[2] the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles journeyed for a day with other religious pilgrims intending to observe the high holy days of Passover in Jerusalem. Rather than travel to Jerusalem, however, our Lord and His men went to the home of Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, who lived in Bethany, a suburb just outside of Jerusalem.[3] Since it was Friday afternoon when they arrived, with the Sabbath beginning at sundown, they spent the evening and the next day with Lazarus and his sisters.

On a Sunday, the Lord traveled from Bethany to Jerusalem, entered the city of Jerusalem proper, and visited the Temple. Because of that day’s events, it has become known as Palm Sunday.[4] Why so? Recall that the Lord and His men walked from Bethany that day to the foot of the Mount of Olives. The Lord then mounted a never-before-ridden donkey colt and rode into the city, fulfilling familiar Old Testament prophecies about the arrival of Israel’s Messiah.[5] Seeing those events unfold, the Biblically literate multitudes then fulfilled prophecies by reacting to what they witnessed, rejoicing, praising God with a loud voice, and placing their own garments and palm leaves ahead of the donkey colt. Hence, Palm Sunday.

Of course, this was outrageous to the religious establishment, who saw their way of life threatened by the enthusiasm of those who were praising God and rejoicing. But they needn’t have feared. As soon as the multitudes endorsed the Son of God and demonstrated their adoration, they quickly abandoned their concern for Him. Five days later, He was crucified following their demands to “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

This is why I bring this morning’s message, “A Palm Sunday Promise And Warning.” It is excellent for folks to gather on Palm Sunday to rejoice and say very nice things about the Lord Jesus Christ the Sunday before His crucifixion. And it is great to celebrate His resurrection the Sunday following His crucifixion. But what comes to mind is the warning voiced by the Savior, which is unheeded by most people. This warning, also a promise, is found in Matthew 24.13 and Mark 13.13. In both verses, we read,

“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

The Lord’s triumphal entry took place on the Sunday before His crucifixion. The Lord warned His disciples on the following Tuesday afternoon as they showed Him the buildings of the Temple area. Rather than being impressed by the architecture, the Savior responded by predicting to them the destruction of the Temple, the coming of false Christs, wars and rumors of wars, nations rising up against nations, false prophets, iniquity abounding, severe persecution, many stumbling and betraying one another, iniquity abounding, and the love of many waxing cold.[6]

The apostles admired the architecture, while the Lord Jesus Christ’s concern was focused on spiritual matters. In that context, halfway between Palm Sunday and crucifixion Friday, at the pinnacle of His popularity, our Lord issued the warning, the promise really, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Interestingly, this warning, also a promise, was not the first time our Lord had said such a thing. As He dispatched the twelve to go out two by two for the first time two years earlier, He said the same thing in connection with brothers betraying brothers, fathers betraying children, children rising up against their parents, and causing them to be put to death and being hated by everyone for His name’s sake. Amidst that, our Lord promised, “he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”[7]

Let me explain this statement, expanding and applying it, under three headings:

First, THERE IS THE IDENTITY HEADING

The Greek phrase translated “he that endureth” is ὁ ὑpomeίnas, and refers to someone who endures, who continues to bear up despite difficulty and suffering.[8] The same Greek verb is used in James 1.12:

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

The Lord was speaking to His disciples and, by extension, those down through the ages who are believers in Christ, genuinely born-again children of God. This does not refer to those who merely claim to be Christians, those who might only superficially think they are heaven-bound Christians, or those who act out their religious inclinations without having experienced the new birth.

The enduring child of God faces two types of spiritual opposition throughout a Christian life. On the one hand, there are the typical routine temptations of life lived in the flesh with a sinful nature that are common and garden-variety experiences, mentioned in First Corinthians 10.13:

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

This verse assures the believer in Christ that you will never have to deal with temptations that are unique to you, and that God is faithful to guarantee that you will never be tempted beyond your limits and will always make a way for you to escape. If you are God’s child, He will not permit you to be tempted excessively unless you bring it on yourself by misconduct or foolishness.

On the other hand, and under the umbrella of First Corinthians 10.13, but also addressed by other passages, are the persecutions visited upon you for doing right, for being godly, with such challenges coming from your spiritual opponents. First Peter 4.12-16 speaks to this aspect of Christian suffering:

12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.

16 Yet if any man suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

This is not the suffering caused by accident, illness, or DNA, but being reproached for the name of Christ. Do not be ashamed when this happens, but glorify God for it.

Thus, in addition to the experiences every human being deals with, there are those experiences that befall you because you are a Christian called to endure. They are neither unusual nor unique. They are to be taken as a part of the Christian experience and are never an excuse or a reason not to serve God.

Next, THERE IS THE DURATION HEADING

We now consider the short phrase “to the end.” The word translated “end” is the Greek tέlos, which generally refers to the end, the last part, the outcome, or the last in a series.[9] The key to understanding the phrase before us is the little Greek word voiced before our word tέlos. The more commonly found phrase is tὸ tέlos, which refers to the end. But in this phrase, we find a different word with έis, a preposition, έἰs tέlos, signifying “in an ultimate sense.”[10] This phrase, used by our Lord on two different occasions and found in three different verses, means persevering for as long as may be necessary.[11] Hang tough for as long as necessary.

The question, of course, is “to the end” of what? There are a few options to consider here. The Lord might have meant “to the end” of your life. He might also have meant “to the end” of the age when Jesus returns. Or He could have meant “to the end” of the persecution because some spiritual opposition eases when despots die or when oppressive regimes change. What is meant by this verse certainly includes a concept that is rarely discussed among Christians in the West of our era, which is the concept of hanging tough for Christ until you die a natural death, hanging tough for Christ until you are martyred, hanging tough for Christ until your persecutor ends his assault on you, be it an individual persecuting you who dies or a regime oppressing you gives up on stopping you. Or hanging tough until Jesus comes.

Here is the obvious point that is made. Christians do not give in or give up. Christians may pause or sometimes hesitate, but we do not stop. We do not quit. We die before we surrender to the enemy or to circumstances. We endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ![12] We persevere. We keep on keeping on. We neither give up nor give in. By God’s abundant grace and genuine humility, we show our grit, our determination, and our gristle in the spiritual conflict of Christian life.

Finally, THERE IS THE DELIVERY HEADING

“the same shall be saved”

This English phrase translates but two Greek words, oὗtos soothsetai. First, a look at the first word, oὗtos: In the English language, we have demonstrative pronouns, referring to this which is close by and near at hand or that which is more remote. The first is the word “this,” with the other being the word “that.” If two cars are not the same distance from you, “this car” refers to the one closer at hand, and “that car” refers to the car farther away, presuming you are not pointing to distinguish one of them.

Greek also has demonstrative pronouns and, like English, can refer to objects that are closer or farther away or to words that are closer or farther away in a written or spoken sentence. Such is the case here, with outos referring to a nearby word, the person who endures. Thus, oὗtos identifies the object of the verb it is associated with, telling us who receives the verb’s action. Something will happen to the person who endures for as long as it takes.

What will happen to the person who endures for as long as it takes? He will be saved, soothsetai. This word is a future passive indicative, first person singular. Something will happen to an individual in the future, and he will not do the action, but it will be done to him. He is not acting but will be acted upon if he endures for as long as necessary.[13] What will be done to the enduring-to-the-end person by someone else, presumably God? He will be saved, rescued, delivered.

Understand that there are three aspects to salvation in the spiritual sense. There is the past deliverance from the penalty of sin, which occurs instantly when one is justified by faith. There is the present deliverance from the power of sin, which is ongoing sanctification throughout the now-justified person’s Christian life of indwelling by the Spirit and communion with God in his Christian walk. Finally, there is a future deliverance from the presence of sin into the presence of the Savior, who has endured to the end and then is glorified.

Thus, the Christian’s life in Christ begins with an event: justification by faith in Christ. The Christian’s life is lived throughout as a process: sanctification by faith in Christ, characterized by enduring whatever for as long as it takes. The Christian’s life culminates with a final future event: the delivery to heaven and the Savior’s presence and glorification, described in our text as “shall be saved.”

The Lord Jesus Christ provided His disciples and us with a specific promise and an implied warning. Endure what may come, and salvation is promised. Failure to endure what may come and salvation is not promised.

Understand that the enduring addressed here does not factor into any sinner’s salvation. No one becomes a Christian or more fit for heaven by enduring the challenges and temptations of the Christian life. However, trusting Jesus as your Savior is not something that can actually be seen by anyone. The Parable of the Sower explicitly shows that even the most joyous response by a sinner to the Gospel is no necessary proof of genuine conversion, Matthew 13.20-21.

What can be seen by the believer in his own life and by others who observe your life’s work and ministry is your endurance in the face of challenges, temptations, opposition, resistance, physical problems, and the difficulties associated with advancing age.

What does this mean? It means that I fear for the person who trusted Christ as a teen, who served in Church ministry for the next fifty years, and who slipped into a retirement of relaxation, never again serving God.

Seriously? From age sixty-five to age eighty without living for Christ and serving God as an active and evangelistic member of your Church? I am frightened for the professing Christian who imagines that is even a thing. “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

We have evidence that the Apostle John was boiled in oil in an attempt to martyr him for the faith. We also have evidence that he continued as a minister of the Gospel within the limitations of his age and disability until he was promoted to glory. The point that I seek to make?

“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Christianity is not a job one retires from. Neither is it a career one is excused from at a certain age. I have a friend who is closing in on ninety years of age, a widower who can no longer look after himself but needs round-the-clock care. But he still lives for, loves, and serves the Savior and faithfully attends Church when the physical limitations of his advanced age permit.

Was that not the example set for us by Archie French? And Margaret Brown? And Johnny Brown? And Ruth Linger? Monica Quintero? Shirley French? Hans Sluik? Norm Rogers?

“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Those are examples of perseverance, beloved. They did not stop attending Church or seeking the salvation of the lost when they reached retirement age or when beset by aches and pains. They stopped living for, loving, and serving God when the Grim Reaper began to strengthen his grip on them, and not before.

The Savior’s message to His apostles and to us is this: Christians do not stop serving God until their frail and aged bodies make ministry impossible—not inconvenient, but impossible!

“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Here is the promise, Christian. You will know to stop serving God that your duty, obligation, and privilege to endure has run its course when your body fails ... and not before. Then, at the time of your homegoing, your faithful Savior and your glorious God will provide you with what has been promised, the third aspect of your salvation, a safe arrival in glory.

This view of the Christian life, as presented by the Savior with both the promise of salvation’s safe delivery into heaven and the implied warning that those who do not endure to the end will not look upon Christ’s face in glory, reflects the inestimable privilege of knowing Christ, being reconciled to God, and exercising the astounding opportunity afforded to us in this lifetime to live for Him, love Him, and serve Him as we seek to reach the lost.

__________

[1] Matthew 20.29-34; Mark 10.46-52; Luke 18.35-43

[2] Luke 19.1-28

[3] John 11.55-12.1, 9-11

[4] Matthew 21.1-11, 14-17; Mark 11.1-11; Luke 19.29-44; John 12.12-19

[5] Psalm 8.2; 118.25-26; 139.9; Isaiah 62.11; Zechariah 9.9

[6] Matthew 24.1-12

[7] Matthew 10.22

[8] Rogers, Jr., Cleon L. and Rogers III, Cleon L., The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key To The Greek New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: ZondervanPublishingHouse, 1998), page 53.

[9] Bauer, Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), pages 998-999.

[10] See footnote for Mark 13.13 from William L. Lane, The Gospel Of Mark - NICNT, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974), page 46.

[11] R. T. France, The Gospel Of Matthew - NICNT, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007), page 907.

[12] 2 Timothy 2.3

[13] Rogers, page 53.

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Pastor@CalvaryRoadBaptist.Church

Calvary Road Baptist Church