November 17, 2012

And the Winner Is…You!

3rd Sunday of End Time, Saints Triumphant, 11/18/12
John 5:25-29


And the Winner Is…You!
I. You have the victory over death.
II. You have the victory over sin.


Have you ever participated in a drawing for a prize? Maybe you did so as a charity benefit. As the woman placed her hand into the container filled with raffle tickets, you were praying that she would pick your number. The odds were stacked against you, but hey, someone has to win. Why not you? You watch as she hands the winning number to the man with the microphone and he states over the PA system, “And the winner is…” but it’s not your number. Once again you’re disappointed.

This past summer we watched the Olympic competitions. Especially in the swimming and track events, you had to watch closely to tell who won the race. Modern timing methods are used and often the difference between first and second place is measured in tenths of a second or less. You have to wait for the announcer to tell you, “And the winner is…”

And then we continue watching as the winner of the drawing or the winner of the race enjoys their moment of victory and glory. In one case Lady Luck was shining on them. In the other case, years of hard work paid off. And we envy those winners. If only that were us! If only that was you or I!

Instead, we find a long line of losses and failures, some rather insignificant, some life-changing. Everyone else seems to get a break but we don’t. They seem so happy. Their life seems so easy. Pain and trouble free. Financially OK. They seem to know where they are headed in life. We seem to wander, stumble, even fall.

Just once we’d like to hear someone tell us we’re the winners!

If that’s your desire, even in the least, then this is your day! On this Sunday Jesus comes to you, looks you in the eye and tells you, “And the winner is…you!” Let’s bask in that victory glory as we listen to the words of our victorious Savior this morning.

Part I.

For the past 6 months or so our media have bombarded us with political advertising, much of which centered on one of the famous inevitable and unavoidable certainties of life—taxes. And we’re bound to hear a lot more about taxes as the “Fiscal Cliff” draws near. No one knows exactly what will happen to his or her tax situation.

And even though there’s been so much attention to that one certainty of life, we haven’t completely forgotten about the other, that being death. The names of our departed members are listed in today’s bulletin. Almost everyone here today could add another family member’s name. As time marches on, so does death. Unless Jesus returns sooner, it will eventually claim us too.

But that’s what our Christian faith is all about. It’s about Jesus who promises and gives us life. “I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.” Jesus has life in himself. Just what did Jesus mean when he spoke those words? Several things. First, Jesus has given us life in a way that we may not often consider. He has given us spiritual life. The worst kind of death is to be spiritually dead. That’s life without God. It’s how we come into this world, and, if left that way, we would be doomed to eternal spiritual death in hell. But Jesus gave us life. He created spiritual life within us when he brought us to faith in him as our Savior. Thank God that you have that life!

And with that life we have eternal life. In the verse just before our text begins—the final verse of last Sunday’s sermon text—Jesus said, “Whoever…believes…has crossed over from death to life.” We won’t die and face nothing. We won’t die and face the worst—hell’s punishment. We’ll die and face the best—eternal life with our God. That life is ours right now and we wait until the Lord calls us home to experience its full bliss and glory.

But it gets even better than that. Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said, “I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” Later on he said, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out.” In the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed we state, “I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” That’s what Jesus is talking about right here. Jesus has promised to return and raise our dead bodies and glorify them. That promise is based on his own resurrection from the dead on Easter. The one who raised himself will not leave our bodies in the grave. We, too, shall rise. Yes, death is one of the certainties of life. But just as certain is the resurrection, your resurrection.

And the winner is…you! You have the victory over death.

Critics of Christianity have called your faith in Jesus a crutch, a crutch that some need to get through this life. But ask those critics one question: What’s their solution to death? They don’t have one. Apart from Jesus there is none. He and he alone gives life. The resurrection to life everlasting is guaranteed because Jesus promised it. He’s the one who promised his own resurrection and fulfilled it in glory. That same resurrection awaits us. So why are we so “this life and this body” myopic? Why do we spend so much thought and energy and time focused on trying to make this life and this body enjoyable? Don’t get me wrong. It’s a God-pleasing thing to take the best care of your body you can. It’s God’s wonderful gift to you. But do so in light of the life to come. This isn’t the life God intended for you—at least not eternally. He wants us always to focus on the life Jesus won for us—life with him in heaven for soul and body. It’s yours by faith in Jesus. And the winner is…you! You have the victory over death.

Part II.

The older I get, the more often I see it and it fills me with sorrow and dread. I’m talking about sinful choices. I watch as people—sometimes even Christian people—decide that they can disregard what God wants them to do and still be happy and fulfilled in life. I watch as their life choices take them further and further away from their Savior. I watch as they think they can commit this or that sin and still be OK. But it never works. In that regard that person is a slave to sin and sin only brings heartache and frustration and stress and discord.

But our record isn’t clean either, is it? Many are the times when we know we shouldn’t feel this way, we know we shouldn’t make this choice, we know we shouldn’t speak this way, but we decided to do it anyway and more trouble results. Our sinful choice didn’t bring resolution; it only added to the problem.

And then there are the times in our lives when we fall into a sinful, downward spiral. We spend a day or two filled with bitterness and it’s reflected in our words and actions. Or we become hyper-critical about everyone and everything and it’s all because we don’t feel good about ourselves. Or we measure what we have against what someone else possesses and we’re filled with envy and it drives the joy out of life. And if none of those consume you, then maybe it’s your ego and selfishness. It’s about me and what I want. Those aren’t attractive situations at all. In fact, they’re sinful.

Jesus snaps us out of those sinful frames of mind and heart with these words, “And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”

Almost sounds awful, doesn’t it? If our record isn’t clean, and there are times we fall into sinful spirals, how can we possibly expect to make it through God’s judgment on the Last Day? Don’t misunderstand these words of Jesus. The rest of Scripture makes it clear that we are not saved by our good works. Jesus speaks these words in light of what he said about the judgment as Matthew records it. The judgment is based on faith in him. That faith shows itself in the things we do out of love for Jesus. The one without faith in Jesus doesn’t do anything out of love for Jesus. Do you love and trust in Jesus as your Savior? Then rejoice because you have then won the battle over sin and its power.

And the winner is…you! You have the victory over sin!

So, what’s the answer to your feelings of failure, to the guilt that nags you, to the haunting feeling that you don’t measure up, at least not as a Christian? What troubles in your life are giving you the impression that God has something against you? Where’s the solution to all these personal crises? In Christ. In Christ alone. The reason he came to this earth the first time was to take your sins upon himself and to suffer the punishment for them on the cross. His resurrection assures you that forgiveness is yours. By faith in Jesus you now stand in the forgiveness of sins. That forgiveness goes all the way with you to the judgment on the Last Day. Not even your worst sins can rob you of life with Jesus. Jesus won the battle with sin. By faith in Jesus you win. And the winner is...you! Forever. Amen.