Victory Through the Word!

1st Sunday in Lent, 2/14/16
Romans 10:8b-13


Victory Through the Word!
I. A word that saves
II. A word for all


It’s not unique to the fans of the Denver Broncos, the winning team in last Sunday’s Super Bowl. You can hear it from just about any loyal fan of any victorious sports team. Fans are so closely connected to their team, that when their team wins, they’ll tell you, “We won!” And they say that even though they didn’t exert any effort on the field or court, they did nothing to prepare for that game other than make their favorite snacks to enjoy while watching it, and in reality they didn’t contribute a single thing to the winning effort. But they still exclaim, “We won!” and we understand what they mean.

Each Sunday in Lent is a little victory celebration. While on Wednesday evenings during Lent our focus is on our Savior’s march to his sufferings and death, our focus on Sundays in Lent is on the victories Jesus won along the way over sin and Satan. Today’s gospel highlighted that victory Jesus gained over Satan’s temptations for 40 days and nights. Jesus won!

And by faith in him we Christians exclaim, “We won!” Christianity is really about winning the battle over sin, death and hell. But just like the fanatic sports fan who can only watch his team with rapt attention, there’s nothing we can do or contribute to the victory. The good news of Christianity is that Christ does it all for us.

And in a very real sense, his victory is our victory. That victory comes to us through his word. It’s as simple as that. The greatest victory we could ever attain, victory in the most important battle of all—the battle for your eternal soul—was won for you by Christ and it comes to you through his word. That’s the truth St. Paul shares with us this morning from Romans 10. Victory through the word. Sit back, relax, and listen to that word for the next few minutes.

Part I.

On March 4, 1908, a fire broke out in an English mine, trapping 25 miners underground. Their colleagues tried to reach them, but the fire was too much for them, and rescue teams with professional breathing apparatus fared no better. All 25 men trapped in the mine died.

When rescuers found the bodies a week later, they saw the dead men huddled together in four groups. One group of six men had left a last plea for salvation on a wooden board nearby. “The Lord Preserve Us,” began the message. It ended with: “For We Are All Trusting in Christ.” Between the two lines were the six miners’ names.

I can’t imagine such a death. And yet, as terrible as it was, it appears that at least that group of six men died with faith in Christ and therefore victory is theirs. They won!

What’s disheartening is how many people are facing eternal defeat but they’re completely unaware of it. Some reject the truth that a life after this one exists. They hold to the hope that you die and that’s it. Billions of others believe in some form of life after this, but they wrongly believe that getting there depends on what they do in this life. Say the right prayers, go through the right ceremonies, make enough personal sacrifices, live as piously as you can, and you’ll make it there.

If any of those ideas are true—even in the slightest—then what Jesus did as our Great Deliverer was unnecessary at best and completely worthless at worst. The truth is that Jesus came to this earth to carry out a rescue of eternal proportions. The truth is that every sinful human is in the death-grip of Satan and is completely helpless to extract himself. The truth is that without Christ, there is no hope, no life, no light. Only despair, death and darkness. Thanks be to God our Great Deliverer did appear on this world’s sinful scene and we see him engage in battle with Satan immediately. He fends off every temptation that Satan launched against him. Three years later, he goes to Calvary’s cross and crushes the serpent’s head. On Easter dawn, the risen Savior descends into hell and shouts “Victory” in Satan’s defeated face.

The blessings of the victory Jesus won for us come to us through God’s word. Paul says it like this, “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Paul starts by asserting the obvious: the word is near you. Being rescued from Satan doesn’t require any heroic efforts on your part. In fact, the message that saves you isn’t hidden or mysterious or locked away and inaccessible. It’s right here. Here’s the message that rescues you!

At the beginning of this letter Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of every one who believes” (1:16). The simple gospel message—Jesus died on the cross for you to forgive your sins—is the message that works and sustains saving faith in the Christian. That word is God’s method of rescuing you from eternal death. It’s so simple even young children believe it and confess it. We do nothing and yet we win!

Victory through the word! A word that saves.
But it sounds too good to be true. And that’s because by nature we make God out to be a liar that can’t be trusted. That’s what the first temptations were all about. Satan convinced Adam and Eve that God couldn’t be trusted. And his attacks haven’t changed in 1000s of years. “You mean sacrificing something we enjoy during Lent isn’t helpful to my salvation? My good intentions earn me nothing? My honest efforts don’t get me any merit points? My successful attempts to do what is good and God-pleasing aren’t getting me anywhere?” Not when it comes to your rescue from hell. That rescue comes to you solely through the word. It’s the message of the victory Christ won for you. And that’s the way you really want it. You might be proud of your record now, but it won’t be long before the walls of guilt and shame come crashing in on you and then all your good intentions and pious deeds will indeed be useless because you’ll be drowning in your own sin. That’s when the word of Christ’s victory appears in all its power and glory. You don’t have to fight the battle against your sin and guilt; Jesus did it for you and he won. His victory is splashed all over the pages of God’s word. Victory through the word—a word that saves.

Part II.

The Pew Research Center recently conducted a study of religion in America which compared America’s religious scene in 2007 with 2014. What I’m about to say probably won’t surprise you. Americans are heading out the doors of denominations and shedding their spiritual connections along the way, and that includes people young and old. The “nones”—Americans who are unaffiliated with brand-name religion—are the new major force in American faith. There are more than four former Christians for every convert to Christianity. So, what are these people believing now? Well, there are really only two choices. Either you believe that Christ is your Savior or you believe that you save yourself.

That’s an accurate description of our modern world religious scene, but it’s really nothing new. Paul faced it in his day as well. What’s so amazing is that he faced it among his own people, the Jews. Earlier in this same chapter of Romans Paul refers to the fact that the Jews were zealous for God. They didn’t know about the righteousness or holiness God gives them freely in Christ; they were trying to attain it on their own. Prior to his conversion, Paul was one of those Jews. Paul’s point in this section of his letter is that there are not two ways to salvation. In fact, there isn’t one way for Jews and another way for Gentiles. It’s the same way for both. Paul wrote, “As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Paul quotes from the Old Testament to prove that there has always been only one way to salvation no matter who you are, where you came from, or what you’ve done in life. It’s only through Christ.

That Savior is the heart and center of the word of God. He is the One to whom all of God’s word points. God’s word is not intended to be a rule-book for how to live. It’s not a self-help book on how to be happy and successful in life. Its purpose is to bring people—all people—to faith in Christ. And with faith in Christ comes eternal victory. Victory through the word, a word for all.

It’s so easy to get disgusted with people in our modern world. Their heinous acts and blasphemous words rightly fill us with anger. How dare they stomp all over the only God of their salvation and his holy word! They deserve the hell that’s coming to them! And with that attitude, it’s easy to consider them outside the pale of God’s grace, to be people from whom God’s word should be withheld. Sure, God should share his saving word with us, but with them? Be careful of that attitude! It conveniently overlooks our own pitiful sinfulness, our own need for a Savior. Thank God he died for all and his saving word is for all! That’s your assurance and mine that he died for me and you and his word is for me and you. And with that saving word planted firmly in our hearts, we win! Yes, today is a little victory celebration, victory through the word! Enjoy it! Share it! Amen.