The Righteous Shall Flourish
John 12:12 On the next day, many people that were come
to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
MANY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE HAVE INVOLVED TREES.
Sin originated from eating the fruit of the Forbidden Tree.
The first clothes “or covering” were leaves from a fig tree.
God promised Abraham a son, under an oak tree.
Elijah was depressed and suicidal, under a juniper tree.
Aaron’s rod of an almond tree, budded & produced fruit.
The Ark of the Covenant was made from an acacia tree.
Is. 55 says,"All the trees of the field will clap their hands."
Revelation 22:2 In the midst of the street on either side of the river was the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruit, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem involved palm trees. (Matthew 21; Mark 11; Luke 19; John 12)
On the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles in Lev 23,
the Hebrews were to take palm branches and rejoice before God. Simon Maccabeus, like Jesus, entered Jerusalem with thanksgiving and palm branches. The crowd welcomed Jesus crying HOSANNA, “Save us now, we beseech Thee.” At Jesus' triumphal entry, there was a plea for salvation.
So the Palm Tree speaks of Celebration and Salvation.
Palm Tree Christians
Psalm 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree:
Today there are 300 species of palms that grow from 3 to 100 feet tall. The date palm produces over 300 pounds of dates per year. The African oil palm gives a higher yield than any other plant. The palm tree has been called the representative tree of Palestine and a symbol of the land of our Lord.
Rev. 7:9 says, “they were clothed with white robes,
and had palm branches in their hands".
The palm tree is a picture of the life of the Christian.
I. THE PALM TREE BREAKS BANDS.
Other trees don’t break bands. As trees grow, the band digs into the wood, like an old clothesline wire sunk deep into a tree. Satan tries to put bands around us to dig in, cut, scar.
The palm tree breaks the bands as it grows. The child of God can break the bands of sin and bondage through Christ.
Rom. 6 says that “We don’t have to continue in sin:”
I Cor. 15:"But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory.
Romans 8:"In all these things we are more than conquerors.
II. THE PALM TREE WILL NOT BREAK.
The strong winds of storms uproot and break ordinary trees.
Hurricane Andrew’s winds broke thousands of trees in Fla.
(Sign in Palm Tree) The storms of life may come but the palm tree does not break. The child of God can withstand any storm they face. Phil 4:13 I can do all things…
through Christ which strengtheneth me.
III. THE PALM TREE NOT ONLY SURVIVES,
BUT IT FLOURISHES IN THE DESERT.
The palm tree doesn’t just grow in the desert; it flourishes.
The roots of the palm tree find moisture deep below the burning sand. The Christian must go deep with God if he is going to flourish in this desert world. To go deep, we have to live the Christian life (Gal. 2:20). To go deep, we have to be prayer warriors. I Thes. 5:17 says; "Pray without ceasing." Not theology, but kneeology. Many Christians don’t flourish because they are looking for nourishment on the surface.
Shallow Christians look to the world for refreshment,
but the world will never satisfy. The fashion, fads, and entertainment of the world are shallow and unfruitful.
You have to send your tap-root deep into the Word of God.
IV. A GROUP OF PALM TREES FORM AN OASIS.
One palm tree standing alone will not provide much shade from the burning sun. A group of palm trees form an oasis. Stay together and stand as Christians. Get in and stay in
the church. The oasis provides shade for the tired and weak.
Often in the desert, you will find orange and lemon trees growing under the shade of the palms that are grouped together. When we group ourselves together in the church, we provide protection for others. That’s why Hebrews 10:25 is so important "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together..." And, Ps. 133: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
V. THE PALM TREE CAN WITHSTAND ABUSE.
The heart of an ordinary tree is dead. We just had trees cut.
The heart of the palm tree is alive. The life of the palm tree is on the inside. Outward abuse does not affect the life or quality of the palm tree. Because we have life deep within our hearts, we are free from sin. The life of the child of God is within. II Cor. 4:16 says, Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."
VI. THE OLDER THE PALM TREE
THE SWEETER THE FRUIT
Psalm 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts
of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age;
they shall be fat and flourishing;
As a palm tree grows older, its fruit grows sweeter.
As Christians grow older, we should grow sweeter.
They say the older trees with scarred trunks produce the sweetest fruit. The scars of life produce the sweet fruit of the Spirit. The trials of life conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8). It gets sweeter and sweeter as the days go by.
VII. THE PALM TREE CANNOT BE GRAFTED.
Horticulturists say that to graft a palm tree is to kill it.
The palm tree is distinctive, special and unusual.
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people;
That is why grafting kills it. To graft a Christian into the world is to kill his testimony and influence. The Christian
is to be distinctive and easily distinguished from the world.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
VIII. THE PALM TREE WILL NOT BURN.
The palm tree is not used for firewood because it refuses to burn like ordinary wood. The child of God will never suffer the burning fires of hell. He will not burn; he is a palm tree.
IX. THE PALM TREE IS AN EVERGREEN.
The evergreen is a symbol of immortality. The child of God will never die; he has everlasting life. John 3:16 For God
so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
The Palm Tree, Breaks Bands, Will not be Broken, Flourishes in the Desert, Forms an Oasis, Withstands Abuse,
Gets Sweeter with Age, Can’t be Grafted, Will not Burn,
The Palm Tree is an Evergreen
Psalm 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree:
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