Dear friends in Christ.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower was once quoted as saying, “There are no victories at discount prices.” As a veteran of World War I and as the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during the Second World War, this would be something he knew first hand. He knew the amount of work, effort and sacrifice that each country gave as they struggled on to win the victory against their enemies. As Christians, we know the same thing to be true! We know that there are no victories at discount prices. There are no victories without sacrifice, and yet, we are able to celebrate today, because through faith we are already victorious in Jesus Christ our Savior! We are victorious in Christ Jesus our Savior! What more incredible statement could there be for us to hear today than this! What more incredible truth could there be for us today than the truth that no matter what situation we might face in our lives we are already victorious in Christ! We are victorious in Christ, because we know that through faith in him, our God is working for good in our lives, our God is fighting for us, our God has promised that there is nothing in all creation that can ever separate us from his love.
In fact, this is the very assurance that the Apostle Paul gives us as he writes in our text this morning: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:28-39, NIV)
With these words, Paul is assuring us that as we worship the Lord our God this morning, we have the absolute assurance that we are victorious in Christ! We have the absolute assurance that we are victorious in Christ because we are the very ones whom God chose to be his own. Even before the creation of the world it was God who knew us and chose us to be his own. Even before God knit us together in our mother’s wombs, he predestined us to be conformed to the likeness of his Son. For it was the Lord our God who loved us so much that he did not even spare his one and only Son! Rather he handed over his one and only Son as a sacrifice of atonement so that through his death and resurrecting we might be freed from our sins. Not only did the Lord God hand over his Son to be a sacrifice of atonement, but it was the Lord our God who decided to crush him, and determined that he would suffer under the weight of our sins and the sting of the whips and the scourges. It was the Lord our God who sent his one and only Son to the cross, watched him as he was mocked and beaten, bruised and bloodied, betrayed, denied, and rejected by men. It was the Lord our God who watched as the soldiers drove the nails through his hands and feet and forgave their actions by the prayer of his Son. It was the Lord God who saw the suffering, the agony, the pain, and the anguish that Jesus endured, and it was the Lord God who turned away—rejecting his Son in the moment of his greatest need. It was the Lord God who spent all his righteous anger and rage as he punished his Son—delivering him over to the torments of hell as punishment for our sins!
All of this is what God the Father did to his one and only Son so that he would never have to do it to you and me! All of this is what God the Father did to Jesus Christ so that we could be forever victorious through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior; just as Paul writes, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31-35, 37-39, NIV)
It is because of the Lord’s great love that we are here today. It is because of the Lord great love that we now trust in him. It is because of the Lord’s great love that we have gathered this morning to worship and praise his name. It is because of the Lord’s great love that we can say, “We are victorious in Christ Jesus, our Savior!” It is because of the Lord’s great love that we know we belong to him and there is nothing in all creation that can ever separate us from his love, which connects us to him through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior. Even though this world is filled with temptations that are designed to lead us away, we are victorious in Christ by the forgiveness he bestows upon us through the faith he created in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Even though we are constantly being tempted away from the Lord by our lust and greed, it is the Lord who is constantly calling us back to himself and reminding us of his forgiveness. Even though there may have been times when alcohol or even drugs have wrapped their tendrils around our hearts seeking to choke out our faith, it is the Lord our God who has watched over us, pruned them away and shined the Light of his Gospel into our hearts assuring us of his forgiveness and the victory that is ours as his children. Even though there may have been times when we have sought after beauty through the soft light of a computer monitor, or the pressures of attaining the perfect body have led us to eating disorders that only weaken us and seek to separate us from our Savior, it is the Lord our God who draws us back to himself and assures us of the victory that is ours through Christ our Savior. Though there may have been times when doubts, despair, or even thoughts of harming ourselves with barbiturates, blades, or even bullets, have crept into our lives not even these things can separate us from the Love of our God, because it is our God who is always calling to us. It is the Lord our God who is always seeking to draw us to himself. It is the Lord our God who is always seeking to remind us of the victory that is ours through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior.
Now, I’d like to illustrate this whole point with brief video clip. However, I would say that this clip has a rating of about PG-10 as one of the characters will introduce the feelings of depression, despair and even self destructive behaviors. Because of this, my wife is willing to take any of our young children to the mother’s room while we view this illustration. So, if you would like to send your children with her she will take them with her and then bring them back after the clip is over. Though what I am doing today is completely out of the ordinary, I was so impacted when I saw this video for the first time that I decided right there and then I had to share it with you, and it fit so perfectly with our text today.
The video clip used in the sermon today can be found on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA&feature=fvw
How many of you have been there? How many of you have been trapped in a sin? How many of you have had to struggle your way back to God? How many times has it happened to you, that even though you knew of the victory that was yours through faith in Christ Jesus your Savior, you kept finding yourself spinning your wheels and sliding so easily back into the sins you were so diligently struggling to avoid? How many times have you felt like that young woman, that you were fighting your way back to God while all the sins and temptations of your life were clawing at you, grabbing at you, and throwing you backward until you felt so far away from the Lord that you were ready to give up? How many of you are feeling that right now you are in the end of your rope and or you feel that you have no options left to you? If you feel this way for any reason, be assured that, even now, you are victorious in Christ through faith. Even now, because of his great love you, God is calling you back to himself. Or how many of you feel that you are in the midst of that struggle because of some particular sin or external circumstance? Be assured that you are victorious in Christ your Savior and by his great love the Lord your God is drawing you back to himself even through this difficult struggle. Or how many of you are feeling like you’ve been struggling against your sins for so long that your strength is almost gone and you are wondering why the Lord hasn’t stepped in to intervene and fight for you as he did in the video? Be assured that you are victorious in Christ your Savior through faith, and the God who has already defeated all our enemies will step in at just the right time and give you the comfort, the assurance, and the peace of sins forgiven and a right relationship with him.
Though on this side of heaven, it may not always feel like we are victorious, through faith in Christ the victory that he won is ours. Through faith in Christ we know that the Lord our God is fighting for us. Though there may be times when the struggle grows more intense than we expected, those are the times when the Lord is still fighting for us in ways we may not see or even be able to comprehend. Those are the times, that as he is drawing us back to himself, he is allowing us to struggle our way through that gauntlet of temptation so that we might come to realize that it is not by our own might or power that we are victorious. Rather, our victory depends on the one who has already defeated all our enemies. Our victory depends on the one who is now drawing us ever closer to himself. Our victory, though it may never fully come in this life, is the victory that one day we will receive eternal life through faith in Jesus—eternal life where no temptations can ever hurt or harm us again. So, no matter what you may have done, you are forgiven. No matter what sins you may be struggling against, it is the Lord who is drawing you to himself. No matter what may be trying to separate you from the Lord your God, you are already victorious in Christ Jesus your Savior, because as Paul has already told us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
So now comes the question, “How many people do you know that do not know this victory?” How many people do you know who need to know this great message of God’s love and forgiveness? How many co-workers, friends, classmates, or even family do you know who need to know this great message of victory through faith in Jesus Christ? How many people do you know that are in such pain that they have turned to drugs, alcohol, or other substances in an attempt to numb the pain? How many people do you know that are so miserable because they have bought into the worlds ideas of ultimate beauty and are struggling with guilt, horror, and revolution every time they see a plate of food set in front of them. How many people do you know who are destroying their strength, their families, even their marriages, because they are trapped in the warm glow of beauty enticing them from the screen of a computer? How many people do you know that in such pain that they are actually cutting on themselves in an effort to relieve some of their pain? How many people do you know who are in such despair that they are beginning to believe that a bullet is the only answer? How many people do you know who need to know the incredible victory that is ours through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior?
These are the people who need you! These are the people who need you to tell them of the victory that is theirs through Jesus Christ, their Savior. These are the people who need you share with them the comforting message of salvation! They need you to tell them because you may be the only person within their circle of friends who knows that glorious victory that is ours through Christ Jesus our Savior. They need you to share with them the beautiful message that Paul is proclaiming to us today: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:28-39, NIV)
Though there are no victories at discount prices, we have already received the victory through Christ Jesus our Savior. He is the one who paid the price so that we could be victorious in him. For through faith in him, we are now victorious in Christ our Savior.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church -Le Sueur, MN
