Saints Triumphant (2)
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24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, 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. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.
This weekend over half a million people in the state of Wisconsin are doing something that they look forward to every year and for which they have been planning whether it was the first time they have done it or it is something they have done for many years for these ten days surrounding Thanksgiving. It is, of course, the annual gun deer season in the state of Wisconsin. Only a fool would wake up on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and at that time decide to grab his/her gun and some shells, and go out into the woods or marsh and hope to shoot the 40 point buck. Those who hunt know how careful preparation and planning and doing things ahead of time will enhance the experience and hopefully contribute to having a successful hunt.
What other events do we do well to plan ahead for?
Holiday celebrations.
A career.
Starting a family.
Vacation.
Major purchase.
Retirement.
Final arrangements.
Eternity.
In the Apostles Creed we confess that we believe in the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints. This is a description of all people everywhere living and dead who believe in Jesus Christ as their savior. On this Sunday of the church year — designated as Saints Triumphant — we consider those saints who have died and whose souls are in heaven awaiting the Last Day when their bodies will be raised, reunited with their souls, glorified, and spend eternity in the glories of heaven. We also consider how God commands us to live as his saints while still on earth in response to how he has cleansed us of our sins.
I hope that all of us are confident that this is our future and that we will someday join the saints triumphant. The question is: What are we Doing now to get Ready for the Future?
Context: This chapter in John is in response to some accusations that were being made against the way Jesus was carrying out his ministry.
One unique thing that Jesus did was to perform miracles. He tells us why he did them.
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods” ’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.
John tells us what impact they are to have on us even today.
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John tells us what impact they are to have on us even today. Do you know what miracle Jesus had just done prior to this? He had healed a crippled man on the Sabbath. But instead of being received as a sign that he was the Messiah by everyone, there were those who used this as a reason to plot against him.
Do you know what miracle Jesus had just done prior to this? He had healed a crippled man on the Sabbath. This happened at the pool of Bethesda. But instead of being received as a sign that he was the Messiah by everyone, there were those who used this as a reason to plot against him.
Do you know what miracle Jesus had just done prior to this? He had healed a crippled man on the Sabbath. But instead of being received as a sign that he was the Messiah by everyone, there were those who used this as a reason to plot against him.
16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
The rest of the chapter (including our text) is Jesus’ defense of himself and his ministry.
In this section he emphasizes his connection with God the Father, the promise of eternal life, and the prediction of the resurrection.
25 Very truly I tell you, 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. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.
The belief in the resurrection of the dead was not necessarily well defined or accepted by all at the time of Jesus (Sadducees). We can be thankful that in the New Testament the teaching of the resurrection is often presented for our hope. Jesus certainly believed in and taught about the resurrection. Here he predicts what will happen.
In the future (the day and hour we do not know so we must always be ready), Jesus will call everyone from the grave.
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
(see passages on the trumpet call). Even though they will be dead, they will be able to hear and respond to his voice. Here Jesus refers to those who are in their graves. Earthen burial was the practice of the Jewish people. That practice has been followed by Christians as well. Here we must note that how we are buried does not impact whether or not we will rise from the dead. (Note how so called heretics were cremated and their ashes flung to the winds to prevent them being raised.) What happens to our bodies after we die does not impact the quality of our resurrection. But burial practices do at times express the beliefs of those who plan their own burials or those who bury them.
Even though they will be dead, they will be able to hear and respond to his voice. Here Jesus refers to those who are in their graves. Earthen burial was the practice of the Jewish people. That practice has been followed by Christians as well. Here we must note that how we are buried does not impact whether or not we will rise from the dead. (Note how so called heretics were cremated and their ashes flung to the winds to prevent them being raised.) What happens to our bodies after we die does not impact the quality of our resurrection. But burial practices do at times express the beliefs of those who plan their own burials or those who bury them.
It's not a purely Christian tradition. Other religions practice this as well. There's an article here on ehow.com that gives an overview of the origins of the practice. Some highlights:
According to "Ethnicity and the American Cemetery," the feet of the deceased face east as well. This tradition is based on the belief that when Jesus returns, the departed will rise from the grave already facing his direction.According to Northumberland County Council, the tradition began when Pagans buried the dead so they would face the rising sun.
Also note that it's not universal. We have a cemetery tied to a Church a few miles from here where the graves all point to the North, and several others I've visited have some facing one way, and others at right angles - those graves are laid out to maximize use of the land.
Regardless of how we are buried or not, Jesus teaches that those who have died will be raised from the dead. Elsewhere we learn about how we will be glorified but how we will appear is unknown to us. (passage).
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
What we do believe is that we will be judged (last week’s sermon) and that we will either go to heaven (rise to live) or to hell (be condemned).
What we do believe is that we will be judged (last week’s sermon) and that we will either go to heaven (rise to live) or to hell (be condemned).
When we plan for the future, we may decide beforehand how long we are going to be somewhere and plan accordingly. The hunter who goes out for a few hours will not be as meticulous in planning as the hunter who plans to be hunting the entire ten days. Those who go on an overnight stay do not need to pack as much as someone who will be gone for two weeks.
How long do you plan to live at the residence you are at right now? What things might you need to do now to plan for the next place that you will live? For our family it means down sizing but for others it may mean making plans to get more stuff. For some it involves preparing for a new career. For others it means planning for a time with limited income because of retirement.
It always amazes me when an elderly person moves into a care facility and laments, “I never thought I would end up here.” I think they mean that they had hoped that they never would have been in a situation where they were so dependent on others. Common sense shows that most people need more help as they age.
But living where we are now, or in our next place, is only temporary. Since we believe in “the communion of sainst”, we believe that our existence does not end but that we will be raised to spend an ETERNITY at our final destination.
How do we prepare for that?
1.Believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior. (Justification)
2.Do what is Good (Sanctification)
Words of Jesus to the man he healed. When Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath, that man believed that he was being punished for his sins and that is why he was lame. Jesus does not correct him. He does give him a command after he is healed. (NIV)
14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”
The Bible reassures us that although God does not punish us for our sins nor are we saved because of our good deeds, our response to salvation and our preparation for eternity must include living what we call a sanctified life.
5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Conclusion: This weekend many people were rewarded after careful planning for the gun deer season. More will be rewarded in the next week. Even if you don’t hunt, you know how good it is to plan ahead and as Hannibal Smith used to say on the TV show, A Team: “I love it when a plan comes together.”
God’s plan of saving us has been accomplished. As we plan to spend an eternity with the communion of saints in heaven, may his Holy Spirit encourage us to plan to live for him now by doing good to his glory. Amen.
