Rev. David Holwick Palm Sunday
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
March 23, 1997
John 12:12-16
OUR TRIUMPH
I. The triumph of Palm Sunday.
A. Memories of holy weeks past.
1) "Don't make all palms into crosses - leave some for
little boys to whip each other with."
2) An "up" event, very positive.
B. Americans love victory.
1) Football games.
2) "Nets" basketball team - lousy season, so cheers have to be
pumped up artificially.
C. Victories come in different flavors.
1) Sometimes the best ones are only recognized in hindsight.
II. The triumph of Jesus.
A. The entrance of a king.
1) Donkeys are kingly animals in Israel's history.
2) Recovery of Jesus' popularity.
a) Miracles made him famous, especially multiplying bread.
b) His hard teachings drove people away.
c) Now he is front-page news again.
B. Triumph is mixed with tragedy.
1) Jesus enters Jerusalem with feelings of grief.
a) He weeps over Lazarus.
b) He weeps over city.
2) Crowds turned on Jesus within days.
a) Crucifixion seemed like the ultimate defeat.
b) This turn-around is something we can relate to.
Shusaku Endo is a Japanese writer who is a Christian, which is rare.
He felt religiously alienated in Japan.
When he moved to France, he was racially rejected.
Shusaku had a crisis of faith.
He spent several years in Palestine and began researching the
life of Jesus.
While he was there he made a transforming discovery:
Jesus, too, knew rejection.
Moreover, Jesus' life was defined by rejection.
Endo had seen Christianity as a triumphant faith, but now saw that
Jesus had not avoided "disgrace."
To Endo the most powerful message of Jesus was his unquenchable
love, even for - especially for - people who had betrayed him.
He thinks Japan has not listened to Jesus because it has only
heard one side of the story.
Japan understands authoritarian love but not motherly forgiveness.
Christianity has two great symbols to offer the world: a cross
and an empty tomb.
An empty tomb without a cross would miss the central message of
the gospel.
But a cross without an empty tomb would be merely tragic.
Anything less than a risen, crucified Christ is not enough.
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C. In reality, cross was Jesus' greatest triumph.
Colossians 2:15:
"And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a
public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."
III. The triumph of Christians.
A. We have a great God and Savior.
1) Comparison with other religions.
a) Works oriented.
b) Despair-producing.
2) Jesus is one who leads us. 2 Cor 2:14
"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal
procession in Christ..."
3) His ultimate triumph is coming. Rev 5:5
"Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the
tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed."
B. We can triumph over sin.
1) (Examples of Christians who overcome.)
2) Mercy should triumph over judgment. Jam 2:13
C. We can triumph over catastrophe.
1) Our disasters may end up producing our greatest achievements.
It is not unusual for adverse circumstances to yield
beneficial results.
A man once tried to kill Samuel L. Brengle by throwing a
brick at his head.
Brengle survived the attack, but had a long convalescent
time.
During that period he wrote many inspiring articles which
were put into a book titled HELPS TO HOLINESS.
The book was a huge success.
Brengle's wife would say, "Had there been no brick, there
would have been no book!"
Indeed, she kept the brick and had painted on it some words
from the Old Testament.
They were the words of Joseph to the brothers who had sold
him into slavery:
"But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant
it unto good."
Sometimes it happens like that.
What which we think is the most tragic event that could
happen to us leads to later triumph.
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D. We will triumph over death.
1) Christians have a hope that others don't.
2) We should not be morbid like non-believers.
IV. The tempering of triumph.
A. Danger of "triumphalism."
1) Claiming more than we should.
2) Ignoring spiritual realities.
3) Example of huge Evangelical success in Latin America.
Columbia - 27,000 Evangelicals in 1967, 3 million today.
But there are dangers in this newfound strength among
evangelicals, according to Luis Bush.
He believes there is a high risk of triumphalism.
"The call to the church is to serve the society, not merely
in proclamation, but servanthood."
"We are not talking about triumphalism, but real
transformation."
"When salt penetrates, you see changes.
When a man stops drinking, stops doing drugs,
begins to respect his wife,
begins to carry out social responsibilities like
paying taxes,
this transforms the nation."
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B. We have enthusiasm tempered by:
1) Knowledge of our sinfulness.
2) Awareness of needs of world.
C. Give all the glory to God.
