Sermon for The 1st Sunday after Easter - March 30, 2008
“ Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? ”
WHY would anyone want a religion for wimps? By what magic could a temple for mild and timid souls draw anyone through its doors? What would be the attraction of a church for church mice? Cheese? Did Jesus command us to be nice , or to be lovers of God and lovers of one another? Love makes you ache, and it's always a danger to one's heart. Are we in such a religion that encourages passion , or admonishes quiet and complacent submission, not rocking the boat.
Today's Epistle is from the disciple who describes himself as the one Jesus loved . He never names himself, but he also never calls himself a nice guy. At one point Jesus has to restrain him and his brother from calling down fire on a village that rejected Jesus' visitation. St. John's words are of victory, overcoming the world, taking on impossible battle, and winning.
In orienting yourself to the issues of living, do you ever think in terms of “victory?” Maybe of “overcoming,” as in overcoming the ten pounds you've been trying to lose, or overcoming smoking. Perhaps you have other bad habits you've been trying quit, but what are we talking about? Losing . John speaks of overcoming and victory. What else does he say? He begins the 5 th chapter: “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.” 1 John 5:1-2
Being born of God sounds powerful. It isn't the new age pablum that says ‘we're all children of God,' or that ‘we are all part of God, creating our own reality, and trying to realize our own divinity.' The New Agers are wrong, but they are more right than some Christians who want to be judged “nice” and allowed into heaven on the grounds of never having bothered anyone.
Children of God are not cowards. Sons of God are not pipsqueaks. Daughters of God are not victims. God's family is an army, and what is more, it's an army that doesn't lose. Ever. It overcomes Satan and his infernal kingdom. It overcomes sin and death. It overcomes the world. Here “the world” means all that opposes God in the world of mankind. These warriors even overcome what used to belong to the world in themselves .
Can we really overcome the world? How? St. John tells us, so listen. “Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 Jn 5: 4-5 Our faith overcomes the world. We believe that Jesus is God's Son, that He is man and God, that He died to wash the world of sin, and on the Third Day He Rose from the grave, alive forever. Can anyone kill a dead man? Nor can they kill a man who is resurrected. The resurrection makes Jesus impervious to pain, death threats, evil plots, bullets, bombs, and even wimpy religions and apostate bishops.
Jesus faced His greatest fears before He was arrested. By faith in His Father's good and mighty will, He faced down fear and overcame it. Whatever the world might dish out after that, Jesus couldn't be defeated. Torture, rejection, false charges, mobs, soldiers, and execution had no affect on His resolve, and from His cross He won the battle for our souls. If we believe that, truly believe it , what can scare us back into the shadows trying to find a safe place to ride out this world's unruly threats?
The present tenor of our nation is fear over the falling value of the dollar. Our property values took a downturn and gas prices are topping $3.50. Flour prices doubled and it's tax time. It's election year. Everything has to be bad in order to stampede us and drive us with fear. What do you expect? Oh No! My standard of living is at stake! Oh No! I can't afford to gas up the Winnebago! What will I do?
About 25 years ago I was in the industrial coatings business. I'd gotten a job in Arizona for my company, a canal lift station northwest of Phoenix. My father, who lives in southern California, offered to fly me there in his plane, so we went. On the way I explained the project, and on learning that the canal's water would be drawn from Lake Havasu, he cried out, “They're taking our water?” “You're water?” I replied, “How did water that fell on Colorado, melted into the Colorado River and ran down the Grand Canyon suddenly become water that belongs to Los Angeles?” I should have had more sympathy. I'd seen the news programs on all the LA channels. Every day they ran a “news story” never seen in northern California, about a water crisis. They could maneuver the entire population of southern California to do just about anything by just mentioning water.
FDR's great first inaugural address immediately took on what had gripped the nation in a great depression. He faced it down by saying, “This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” Fear itself is what we need to steer clear of, and with confidence in Almighty God, and faith in His blessed Son, stand in the power of our knowledge there is nothing the world can do to us.
The apostles quaked in fear. Their Master had gone to the cross, had died a criminal's death, and His enemies were searching for the Galilean's chosen men probably to do the same to them. At least they reasoned so. But today they had heard startling stories, the women found the tomb empty, Mary Magdalene had seen Him in the garden, Peter and John also saw the tomb, and Peter had seen the Lord. Still they quaked with fear, and barred the door against the night. Suddenly Jesus sprang into their midst. “Peace!” He cried, “Shalom!” The greeting carried with it a message of power, God's blessing, and an admonition to settle down. He displayed the wounds in His hands and side, assuring them that it was indeed Jesus. Slowly the wonder of His presence overcame their fear, and they began to rejoice. Again He said, “Shalom: as my Father hath sent me, just so I am sending you.” At that, He blew His breath over the Apostles, “Receive the Holy Spirit: whosesoever sins you forgive, they are forgiven; and whosesoever sins you retain, are retained.” Thus He made them priests, administrators of the most powerful gift of God— forgiveness .
And why is that so powerful? Isn't the power of life and death more than just to forgive? Remember the lesson of the Cross. Jesus volunteered to die that way so that forgiveness was possible for you and for me. Forgiveness releases us from the fear of death, and for that matter, forgiveness frees us from the fear of life. We go without fear, uncowed by the world's doubts and the devil's accusations. God is with us. He has forgiven us. He now lives in us, and we have overcome the world. We are witnesses of a God who died and rose again. Witnesses, not by our eyes, for most Christians weren't present at the crucifixion, but we know that few events in human history had better coverage. All those who would love to prove it wrong had their chance and could not controvert it. Any other explanation falls apart. Would the Jews have stolen the body? Would the Romans ? Would the soldiers have really fallen asleep, and having done so, would they admit it? Being asleep, how could they then testify that the unarmed disciples stole the body? And for what reason on earth would the disciples of Jesus steal His body, hide it, and pretend He was alive again? To fool themselves into feeling better, so they could go on and die bravely, believing a lie they had made up? Aw, c'mon. Jesus is Risen from the grave bodily, and He stayed forty days until His Ascension. Provide any other plausible explanation. Okay. We are witnesses for His Resurrection.
We are also participants of it, and inheritors of the power of new life. Whosoever is born of God —that's Resurrection power. He gives it to any who believe. Resurrection power means that you are dead already, as St. Paul said, “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.” Romans 6:3-10
He lives and we live. He told us plainly that, as He is the Resurrection and the life, “whosoever lives and believes in Him shall never die.” Jn 11:26 And why not? Because we have died already, in Jesus' own death, and our faith in Him has already taken us beyond death to eternal life. That doesn't start when we're embalmed or cremated and put in a hole. That happened when the priest asked, “Dost thou believe in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God?” and you responded, “I do.” You do. And you have overcome the world.
What can hurt you, scare you, control you, keep you down if you can't be killed? If nothing lies before you but eternal life in total bliss, how can this world ever frighten you into compliance? “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” And that message carries another.
We are alive and can't die. Fine . Now, you know people, you even love those who do not have the Son of God. They are not alive forever, but doomed to perdition. Maybe they're resistant. Maybe they even will make fun of you. They may even call you a name. Wow . I'm sorry for bringing it up. The ones you love are dying with this world, and the world says it's powerful and that you can do nothing about it. How about it, Christians? Is that true? Is the world right and John wrong? What did John say is true? Sons of God: be not afraid. Overcome the world, and love. Love the lost. Fear not. Go with God.
PFH+