Faith to Greet the Coming King

Palm Sunday 1991

March 24, 1991

Revelation 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

John 12:12-15; Matthew 21: 4 - 9; Luke 19: 35 - 38; Mark 11: 7 - 10; Philippians 2: 1 - 11

This text from the last chapter of the Bible has two distinct parts. (1) It declares that the risen Lord, the Alpha and Omega, is coming, and coming suddenly. (2) It also pronounces a beatitude, a blessing, on those who are prepared for this coming (parousia) by keeping the words of the prophecy. What can this mean? First, a look at Christ's unexpected coming.

Just about every time Jesus came on the scene of action He did it in an unexpected way. His coming was never out of character, nor was it ever contrived, or designed merely to impress or surprise. But it seems that an essential part of His character is that He is beyond our predictions!

I. OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH IS ALL ABOUT GOD COMING WHERE WE ARE

1. In Jesus Christ, God enters into our world and into our lives- and always in a way we cannot quite anticipate:
   1. In His Initial Appearance on earth, His Nativity, Jesus surprised the Universe! Jesus was born, the Son of God, the King of kings, the long-awaited Messiah, in a cattle shed.
   2. When he was a lad of twelve He was lost by his parents because of their presumption, and found again in the company of doctors and learned men, where he said, "Don't you understand that I must be about my Father's business?"
   3. He began His ministry as a despised citizen of the town of Nazareth, ( a Nazarene! ) when the saying among the Jews of the time was, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"
   4. One time He missed the last boat to Capernaum, and startled the disciples by appearing out of the gloom of night walking on the water to catch up.
   5. He was too late to attend the funeral of Lazarus, but you know what He did when He went with the mourners to the grave.
2. Jesus is still in the business of coming into people's lives! By His Spirit, Jesus still enters lives, and makes His Presence known and felt, and convinces men and women of sin, and righteousness and judgment, and of His love and forgiveness.

   Every Christian is a unique story. Every one of us who has met Jesus has met Him along the way of everyday living, and yet in a miracle of grace He had made Himself known! Jesus comes to YOU!

3. But this is not all the text means. There is another appearance of Christ, what we call The Second Coming, that is spoken of all through the New Testament.
   1. In these final chapters of Revelation the smoke of battle has cleared away, leaving a wondrous vision of a new heaven and new earth, and of a splendid and majestic holy city descending from heaven.

      In the midst of this glorious description, at the heart of the message of Revelation, is the message from the risen Lord: I am coming, and I am coming quickly.

   2. You may be sure that Jesus will surprise us all in the way that He appears when He comes again. The text says: "Behold, I come quickly!" It is the closing theme of the entire Bible.
4. How much should this "Second Coming" dominate our everyday living? How much should we be thinking about that coming?
   1. What part does eschatology, the doctrine of "last things," play in our everyday Christian faith? [ Eschatology is that part of our scriptural understanding that tells us that with God we are going somewhere, and not aimlessly lost in time and space. It is an important part of every true Christian's faith or creed.]
   2. To make the Second Coming a part of our faith does NOT mean that we live in an unnatural, panic-stricken, white-robed- waiting-on-the-mountaintop attitude. Rather we must build the concept of looking for the coming of the Christ into our attitude for everyday living.
   3. (Transition:) The Palm Sunday story is another one of Christ's "unexpected comings." Perhaps it can shed light on the text:

II. JESUS MADE AN UNEXPECTED APPEARANCE THAT FIRST PALM SUNDAY

1. Jesus came on His own terms (as outlined in that passage from Philippians 2): He did NOT come to meet anyone's expectations:
   1. The people had different ideas of who He was and why He was coming— they came for many different reasons to see Him— but that did not change what was taking place:
      1. Why the people came
         • John 12:17: multitudes came because Jesus had raised Lazarus;
         • Luke 19:37 a multitude of disciples were praising God for the miracles they had seen;
         • Mark doesn't really describe the crowd except to say that some were going ahead and some were following behind.
      2. What the people thought:
         • The religious leaders thought they had a rebellion on their hands that they could no longer control: (John 12:19) "The whole world is gone after Him."
         • Most only partly understood or understood not at all: Matthew says (21:10-11) that when they got into the city itself all the city was stirred and asking, WHO IS THIS? And the answer the disciples gave was partial: This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee."
      3. Jesus was, as always, "in character." He incarnated that passage from Philippians 2, (that passage which James Heyward read for us, THE "KENOSIS" PASSAGE), in which Jesus' full character is revealed:
         • Not grasping for His rights
         • Servant (doulos)
         • Obedient unto death
         • Shame

           and yet somehow regal, kingly, on His way to the Cross not as a martyr, but as a Warrior to conquer hell and sin and death, so that somehow we understand the rest of the passage that says the He shall be

           Highly exalted.

           Who could have predicted that the lowly Nazarene, gentle Jesus would come into Jerusalem like this, stopping to weep over the city, then permitting the parade to go on? Who could have thought that having come through that Eastern Gate which is now walled shut, He would dare to enter into the Temple and turn over the money changers' tables? Who could have looked ahead to Friday, and beyond that to Sunday?

2. No doubt He will not come in humiliation like that again. Then He was on His way to become "sin" for us to open a way for us to enter into His righteousness, that we might become "holy" and be with Him forever— beginning NOW!

   But He will come! And He will surprise us! He said so! He will be coming again!

[Transition:] The second part of the text is a promise to those "who keep the words of the prophecy of this book":

III. ' WE CAN'T GET READY, WE HAVE TO BE READY! '

1. And what does all this have to do with Palm Sunday, and the "kenosis passage"??

   Blessed are those who keep the words of the prophecy of this book!" How in the world do we: "Keep the words of this prophecy?"

   1. We understandably love Easter, and want to identify with Jesus in victory over death and sin and the grave. We want to know Jesus in power- which is culminating in His Return: "I come quickly!"

      Here we stand on Palm Sunday amid the miracles and the palm branches and want to jump right over from here to there. Yes, we know the story of Christ and the Cross. But what does that have to do with you and me?

   2. But remember, the Book of Revelation is about struggle. It is about warfare, and the battle of Good and Evil. Christian faith is taking a stand for God and good. Jesus could not simply jump from Palm Sunday to Easter— he had to march through Gethsemane and a Mock Trial and Calvary and the Tomb as a Warrior- - as our Champion— before He could stand on the mountain top of Easter. "He was made in fashion as a man . . . and humbled Himself . . . and took the form of a servant and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross; wherefore God hath highly exalted Him and given Him a name that is above every name ..."
   3. Do you begin to see what "keeping the words of this prophecy" means in relation to being ready to meet Jesus in His victorious coming? It isn't understanding all the trumpets and vials and visions of the Apocalypse. Most of Revelation is undecipherable to most people. But the "simple part" of Revelation (Chapters 2 & 3) is about (1) keeping a fresh love to Christ, and (2) avoiding immorality and outright heresy, and (3) being faithful even when we feel small and (4) staying dependent on Christ for Life itself.
   4. Or, keeping the prophecy is simply seeking to stay in tune with the Jesus of Palm Sunday, our Christ who is coming soon. Paul puts it this way: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus!"

      Anticipating Christ's coming is not a matter of keeping rules, or doing this or not doing that. Watching for Jesus means loving Him, and living to please Him, and seeking to be like Him.

2. Hear again the words of the text, this Beatitude of Revelation: (Revelation 22:7) Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. That promise, along with every other blessing of the church, is OURS if we will receive it!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, We know now how the battle will turn out. We know that You have already won! But help us to be faithful each day, that we might keep the words of love You gave us, and be worthy to meet You when You come. In Your name we pray. Amen.

47 EH God of Grace and God of Glory