Tag: resurrection

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Connect My Worship with My Mission

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. The grace and forgiveness you long to lavish on your guests as you serve us with your Word and Sacrament in worship are our lifeline. All depends on it! Let me treasure your house as the place I frequent to freely receive your richest blessings, not only to nourish my soul and spirit, but also to equip and inspire me to carry out your mission, the work of your church.

Keep your mission always before me, and provide me with clarity to see when and how I get to be a part of it on a daily basis. Let me be a conduit of your grace and good news for others. Help me to view worship not as the end and ultimate goal each week, but more like the pre-game pep talk, reminding me of who I am and inspiring me to go out and give your mission every ounce of energy that I possibly can every day. Fill me up this morning – and every Sunday, Lord – to faithfully and fully give myself to you and your mission. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For My Easter Identity (Part 3)

Risen Savior,
Sometimes I lose sight of who I am, but Easter assures me of my identity. Significant successes or shames in my life can cloud my identity, distracting or deceiving me from who I really am. When you bless me in any given endeavor with success, my pride hijacks that success and claims it as its own, rather than the gift from you that it is. Pride then attempts to anchor my identity to that success. As soon as that success passes then, that false identity crumbles apart.

Something similar can take place when my words or actions result in significant shame. The evil one mercilessly taunts me with endless attempts to convince me that my real identity will forever be associated with my shame. 

Success or shame – neither determines who I am, for my identity was bought and paid for on the cross, and the Resurrection is the stamp of approval that the Father accepted payment in full. It is not my success or shame that determines my identity, but your successful victory on my behalf. Let your resurrection always remain the anchor for my identity, and let me take everything else, all success and shame, in stride. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For My Easter Identity (Part 2)

Risen Savior,
Sometimes I lose sight of who I am, but Easter assures me of my identity. Significant shocks in my life can turn my life upside down, causing me to question who I am. Some may have happened long ago during childhood, resulting in wounds that still haunt me today, leaving doubt and uncertainty about my self-image. Trauma, injury, sudden catastrophe – these unexpected turns can lead us to question who we are or what’s wrong with us.

When such shocks strike suddenly and I find myself shutting down, remind me that an even more shocking event overshadows all of them: the Resurrection! It is your rising from the dead – and not any shocking events in my own life – that has the final say in my identity. Because of your victory, I am victorious, too. Because you live, I have life, too, and meaningful life at that, for I am yours! This ought to shock me daily more than anything else. You died and rose again to wash and purify me as your own for eternity. I am yours. May that always be more than enough for me!

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

Identity Gift

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(John 20:1-18)

It cost anywhere from $20-50 billion last year (depending on how cases are classified) and impacts multi-millions of people. Identity theft is serious problem. Its attempts are also so common that most of us can filter out the spam emails or even texts as soon as they hit our inbox or phone. For those who have fallen victim to identity theft, though, it’s not just a financial burden they face. There is the emotional stress of not knowing what someone who is pretending to be us may be trying to get away with, or what other personal information of ours they may have access to. Then there’s also the painstaking process of having to cancel this card or re-issue that I.D. to essentially start all over again with establishing your identity. Victims of identity theft face big challenges!

Maybe you’ve personally experienced identity theft; maybe you haven’t. But I am quite certain you’ve experienced what we might call identity “uncertainty.” Maybe you’re even going through it right now. What causes identity uncertainty? Any number of three significant scenarios might trigger it: a significant shift, shock, or shame/success.

We all experience significant shifts. A high school graduate is indecisive and overwhelmed by all the considerations for the next phase of life. New parents have to adjust to the shift of splitting their time from just between each other to now a new member of the family. Or, the other side of that shift back to being empty nesters can its own challenge. An occupational change that disrupts the workplace identity others have associated you with for so long is also a significant shift. Such shifts find you at a crossroad – now who are you?

The identity uncertainty could also be the result of significant shock. You experienced abuse or assault recently or a long time ago that still shapes how you see yourself and/or how you think others see you. A traumatic event or injury robs you of a unique trait or ability that has permanently altered how you function. The absence of a spouse means the two who became one has now unexpectedly morphed into a much lonelier one. Now who are you?

We might be going through identity uncertainty as a result of our own significant shame or success. It may have started at a very young age, possibly pushed or pressured by parents in specific direction academically or athletically. As a result, you either burned out or failed to excel after a certain level and don’t know who you are anymore. Or it could work the opposite way – you achieved a level of success that came so fast that you became ungrounded and forgot who you were.

Or, in your young adult life you accomplished something spectacular that brought about your fifteen minutes of fame, which then quickly fade and leave you scrambling to achieve something similar ever since. Or instead of fifteen minutes of fame, it was fifteen minutes of shame as a result of some past humiliating act or even a crime. Maybe you were the golden boy or darling at work who could do no wrong, nailing everything that came your way, until a new boss came along and made it a point to be unimpressed by your efforts. Now who are you? 

So, whether it’s caused by a significant shift, shock, or shame/success, how do we address “identity uncertainty?” The advice that often seems to make the most sense is also some of the worst: take a good hard look at yourself or go on a journey of self-discovery to really find yourself; find out who you are by focusing more on you.

But if you follow that advice, it’s like trying to get from point A to point B only by staring at your feet the whole time. You’ll just spend the rest of your life correcting every time you realize you veered off course. You pursue a different identity only to be left unsatisfied or uncertain. You will remain on an endless chase, always coming back to the same struggle of who you really are.

If you want to know who you are, there’s a better place to start rather than looking at yourself. Start by looking in the Bible, specifically in the Gospel of John.

One of the themes of John’s Gospel is to make sure of what we’re looking at. Or better, “who” we’re looking at: Jesus. John he provides this direction to us as one with firsthand experience. In the first chapter he states, “We have seen His glory” (John 1:14). He didn’t say that he had heard about it from someone else or that he speculated or pondered what it would be like, but that he saw it with his own eyes. John saw God’s glory in Christ.

He highlights what he sees again later in that same chapter when, pointing to Jesus, he says, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29). Later, when Philip encourages Nathanael to find out more, he invites him to come and see. The Samaritan woman at the well does the same thing, pleading for the people in town to come and see the Jesus who told her things about herself that no one else knew. Seeing Jesus is a common theme in John.

Now, on Easter morning, Mary expected to continue that theme of John and go see the body of Jesus. Only, when she arrives, she sees something else: the stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty. Her fear swells. She runs to inform Peter and John and then returns back to the tomb. Then, after the angels attempt to ease her fears, distraught, she turns around and… sees Jesus!

Only… she doesn’t see him. She doesn’t know it’s Jesus. “At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him” (John 20:14-15). Mary saw Jesus, but she didn’t really see him.

That can be the case for many people, sadly. They can look right at Jesus and not recognize him. They don’t see him for who he is. They might as well be blind. Let’s be honest. We all suffer from some kind of blindness. It may be that the pile of sin that I’ve accumulated over my life appears to me to be too big for me to see Jesus. Perhaps I can’t see Jesus because I don’t trust him to actually make a difference in my “real-life” problems that need fixing. We can even attend church occasionally, speak the words and sing the songs, and still never see Jesus.

When did it all change for Mary? When did she see Jesus? She didn’t give up. She continued to look at Jesus and listen to him. And finally she recognized his soothing, saving voice. Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). (v. 16). She knew this was not a fluke or apparition, for she raced back to the disciples and burst out the words, “I have seen the Lord” (v. 18). 

Speaking of the disciples, did you catch the message Jesus asked Mary to relay to them? “Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’” (v.17). Jesus hadn’t called them that previously! This was new. Now, post-resurrection, they were “my brothers.” Jesus called them brothers! They had a new identity! The Resurrection had changed their relationship with Jesus! They were someone new!

So was Mary. This Mary is mentioned along with others as having accompanied and supported Jesus during his ministry. She was present at his crucifixion. Since Mary was a common name, and there were other Marys involved in Jesus’ life and ministry, this Mary is identified by Magdala, the seaside village from which she came. But it’s hard to imagine that any of these things carried as much weight regarding Mary Magdalene’s identity as another detail that the Gospel of Luke brings to light: this Mary had been possessed by seven demons, and Jesus had healed her. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like, and so I can’t imagine her really being identified by anything else more significant.

Until now. Now, she was not just the woman who had been possessed by seven demons. Now, she was the first one to lay eyes on the resurrected Jesus! Her identity had changed! She was someone new, made so by the Resurrection!

So are you. The Resurrection has changed your identity. Your identity is not determined by some significant shift or shock in your life, nor by some shame or success, but by your Savior. Your past doesn’t define you. Your sin doesn’t define you – how can it when it’s been forgiven and paid for?!? Your shame doesn’t define you – how can it when it’s been removed and cancelled along with your sin?!? None of that determines your identity; Jesus does.

In the book of Colossians, Paul wrote, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:3-4). When we see Jesus by faith, what we were, who we were, died. Now we are in Christ, hidden and unable to see he full glory that is ours until he returns on the last day, yes, but we are no less in him! Paul even writes that Christ “is your life.” That’s who I am now! That’s who you are! We are “Christ’s.” We are Christians. That is more than just one of many labels we attach to ourselves; it is who we are over and above every other label. I am a God’s child. I am a Christian. That is my identity. The Resurrection guarantees it!

Now what? What do we do we this new identity? Now where do we look? “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1-3). You still look at Jesus, only you look up at him, where he is seated at the right hand of God. And we heed the encouragement to set both our hearts and our minds on things above.

Why both? They work together. Your heart reflects what you desire. Your mind reflects what you think about and give your attention to. Like it or not, the two work together. So I cannot claim to desire something that I rarely or never think about. And, if I rarely or never think about something, then I won’t ever really desire it, either. On the other hand, whatever consumes or takes up most of my thoughts and attention – that is the thing I desire. 

So an addict desires the next fix – why? Because that’s all the addict thinks about all day long. And when that’s all one thinks about all day long, that is what a person desires. The two – heart and mind – work together. And this can be an extremely destructive thing. 

Or, it can be an extremely positive and powerful thing. For the believer with a new resurrection identity, it can be an extremely powerful thing. My new life in Christ doesn’t just mean that I think about Jesus once in a while, maybe when everyone else in my family goes to church. It doesn’t mean I can legitimately claim to desire Christ… if he is never more than a passing thought in my life. 

No, when both the heart and the mind are focused on Christ, my true identity in Christ begins to take shape. So I can believe what Christ says about me, that in him I am new, I am his, I belong to him. But if I am to experience that to the fullest, it means the new me focuses both heart and mind on Christ. I desire more of him, and I think of him more, and the more I think of him, the more I desire him. The two feed each other in a beautiful cycle of spiritual growth and maturity! That’s the purpose and goal of my new identity in Christ – and life does not get any better than when we discover that.

I hope no one here ever has to deal with identity theft. But I hope everyone reading this knows and believes that because Jesus lives, you have been given an identity gift: you are his. Keep looking at him, with your heart and your mind, and embrace your true identity: you are Christ’s, Christian. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For My Easter Identity (Part 1)

Risen Savior,
Sometimes I lose sight of who I am, but Easter assures me of my identity. Significant shifts in my life can cause me to question who I am. After years behind desks in classrooms, the shift into the working world means I am no longer the student I have been accustomed to being. An undesired breakup may lead me to wrestle with what’s wrong with me. Getting married, having children, adjusting to new social circles – shifts like these can expose fears and insecurities that strip me of my confidence.

When I experience these shifts, take me back to Easter morning. Take me to your tomb, where the certainty of the Resurrection provides the proof I need to know who I am: yours! Various shifts will continue to take place in my life, but they’ll never change my identity. Your victory means I am victorious, it means my fears and insecurities have been rolled away with the stone at the tomb. I am forgiven and I am yours. I need no other identity than that!

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Bless Easter Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. They are made so especially because of what we celebrate on this Sunday: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! Had this historical event never taken place, as Paul stated to the Corinthians, our faith would be futile! And, if our faith was meaningless and empty, so, too, would our worship be.

But it isn’t, because he lives! Fill worshippers this morning with the joy and elation that resounds from the Resurrection. Let the certainty of our own resurrection in the future bring us security and peace in the present. Let Easter make those who are hopeless, hopeful. Through the empty tomb, provide the answers to what so many are fruitlessly searching for elsewhere. With the same power you used to raise Jesus from the dead, Father, raise up your church to be zealous in carrying out its mission and continuing to spread the news: He lives, who once was dead!

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Bless My Easter Plans

Holy Father,
Tomorrow we celebrate the greatest victory the world will ever know: Jesus’ victory over Satan. Along with that victory you have removed the sting of death and its permanence, as well as the slavery of sin and its condemnation.

Whatever Easter plans are in place for tomorrow and the days ahead, I pray that they are not a distraction from my Easter joy. Instead, as those plans are in motion, may they serve as reminders to make me even more mindful of your Resurrection. Guard me from being so caught up in any planning, preparation, or misplaced priorities that would rob me of Easter joy instead of expanding it. Keep me from any stress that would steal the peace and calm of knowing that the Resurrection has secured my eternal rest. Bless my celebration of your victory – for your victory is also mine!

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

Defying Death Is Not Death-Defying

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(Mark 5:21-24a, 35-43)

Have you noticed the shift in the way we discuss death and prepare for it as a society? A friend recently shared an article from a rabbi regarding death. The article had some good insights in preparing for death that would be very beneficial for anyone to consider. He presented a number of thought-provoking questions that could probably help anyone struggling with the reality of death. The general approach he took in his article was to emphasize the importance of making sure you’re living the life you want to live right now that lines up with your priorities.

Ironically, what his article on death did not address, is what actually happens to us when we die. More and more, this seems to be the trend regarding death and end-of-life issues – we avoid the death part. Certain practices that are becoming more prevalent, like holding “Celebration of Life” events in place of funerals or memorial services, or even a living funeral that allows the person to participate in their own funeral before they die, reflect this avoidance of death. Our aversion to discussing death isn’t necessarily a surprise, as it likely comes from either a fear of what that might be, or the uncertainty that prompts us to keep our collective heads in the sand and avoid the topic altogether.

But if there is anyone in our society who should have no problem taking the lead in discussing this topic that applies to everyone, it should be Christians. Death does not need to be a taboo topic for those of us who by faith cling to the One who undid death and its terrifying threats. Death is different for the children of God than it is for the children of this world. Jesus reminds us why in this section of Mark’s Gospel, and as the current series (“A Top-Down Faith”) concludes, we thank God for the top-down faith that allows us to see death differently – not as the world does, but as it really is.

The man named Jairus would never view death the same. We don’t know much about Jairus outside of this account. His position as synagogue leader would have been similar to someone serving on a church council or even as the church president. He was responsible for overseeing and managing the synagogue. When his daughter became sick, Mark details for us how he approached Jesus. “Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, ‘My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live’” (v.22-23).

The disciples in the boat last week could have taken a page from the synagogue leader’s request in how to appropriately approach Jesus! We see in Jairus two things that are noteworthy. One, he demonstrates a confident trust that Jesus was able to heal his daughter, and two, the manner by which he asks displays an endearing measure of humility. Unlike the disciples, Jairus didn’t arrogantly conclude in the midst of his own personal storm regarding his daughter’s terminal illness that Jesus must not have cared. Instead, he humbly expressed his confidence in Jesus by politely asking him to heal her.

Jesus obliged. He then accompanied Jairus to his home. However, tragedy struck while they were on their way. Before they had arrived, they were met with the devastating news that it appeared to be too late. His daughter had already died. The messengers reasoned that there was no point in having Jesus continue on to the house anymore since she was already dead.

But Jesus had other plans. “Overhearing what they said, Jesus told [Jairus], ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe’” (v.36). When you have a miracle of this magnitude where a dead person is raised to life, it isn’t surprising for that kind of a thing to generally grab all the attention in the narrative. But we would miss out on so much if we neglected to delve more into the details of Jesus’ response to Jairus!

“Don’t be afraid.” Fear surrounding death comes in all shapes and sizes. There is a fear of the unknown surrounding death. While the Bible makes it clear what happens when believers die, it doesn’t walk us through the actual experience of dying itself, nor do we always know how we’re going to die. There is also a fear of the unknown regarding the remaining family members after a death. How will they handle it? How will they be cared for? How will they get through x/y/z without this person? And to all of these fears, the unbeliever can add another: the fear of uncertainty in not knowing where he is going, or even the intuitive awareness that her life has not measured up, and she will have to face the consequences. 

Of those fears just mentioned, only the last one is justified, for if nothing changes for the unbeliever, there is no more legitimate fear than that of suffering in hell for eternity! To the other fears, though, just as Jesus said to Jairus, so he says to us: “Don’t be afraid.”

Let your anxious fears be drowned in those words. Do not insist on following them with a “but…” or a “how…” or any other uncertainties for which we might be inclined to seek out an answer. Just take Jesus’ words to heart.

He didn’t explain to Jairus why he didn’t need to be afraid. He didn’t lay out his plans for raising his daughter so that it made sense to Jairus why he didn’t need to be afraid. He just eased his aching heart with the assurance that he had nothing to fear. In fact, instead of being afraid, Jesus encouraged Jairus to replace that fear with something else: faith.

“Just believe,” Jesus said. It’s the easiest thing in the world. It’s also the hardest thing in the world.

On the one hand, since the work of conversion, of coming to faith in Jesus, is entirely and completely the work of the Holy Spirit through and through, it couldn’t be easier! He did that work in us. We have no claim to make or any role to play in coming to faith. It is all God’s work, not ours. We did nothing – that’s easy!

However, having been brought to faith in Jesus and now being aware of all of the gracious promises he gives us in his Word, it becomes more difficult to “just believe.” That’s because we start to see how often our own thoughts and experiences in life seem to test our trust in those promises. It is easy to say I believe in Jesus; it is hard to live in his promises by faith. It’s hard not to demand knowing the answer when we’re at a crossroad in life. It’s hard not to insist on being in control of challenging situations. It’s hard when things don’t work out the way I want them to or think they should. Regardless of whatever the circumstances may be, to look to and lean on every word and promise of God – this is a hard thing! 

But it gets easier the more we do it. Rather than trying to understand why it’s reasonable or makes sense in this or that scenario to believe, just believe. Just listen to Jesus. It doesn’t have to make sense first. I don’t have to see the clear, logical path first. I don’t have to have the answer or solution first. No, first, believe. Then, faith will see what happens next. For example, a dead daughter being raised back to life.

Notice that Jesus didn’t raise Jairus’ daughter because Jairus understood it or could explain to the crowds what Jesus was about to do. No, Jesus raised her because… Jesus raised her. Because he could. Because he cared. Because there are no limitations to what God can do. He is capable of doing anything at any time. Just believe.

Some didn’t. Some didn’t believe. In fact, not only did they not believe Jesus, they took it a step further and ridiculed him with laughter. “When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, ‘Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.’ But they laughed at him” (very.38-40). They did not, as Jesus had encouraged Jairus, “just believe.” And for their lack of faith, they weren’t allowed to witness the miracle first hand. Jesus dismissed them and cleared out the home.

But Jairus, who had already displayed the confidence that Jesus could powerfully intervene on behalf of his daughter, saw his faith rewarded, and along with him his wife, who likely shared his trust in Jesus. Together with the three disciples of Jesus’ inner circle, they all witnessed the impermanence of death when Jesus is involved. “He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished” (v.41-42). Jesus didn’t disappoint. 

Neither does our faith in Jesus. 

A faith in Jesus that fully trusts what he is capable of doing does not have to insist that he do it. What I mean is this. Sometimes people – even Christians – make the measure of their faith conditional. Their faith is dependent upon whether or not God acts on their behalf in accordance with their desired outcome in any situation. If he doesn’t, their faith diminishes. But that sort of a faith doesn’t really have much of a foundation.

Rather, a faith that fully believes that God can do something, but also remains intact – strong even – in the times when God chooses not to act in accordance with our desires or wishes – now that is faith! To believe that God can heal my loved one dying of this or injured by that, but nonetheless embracing the outcome by faith even if he doesn’t – this is the faith we’re after! Because it is a faith that really sees death as it is: temporary. A nap. Nothing more than restful sleep.

Doesn’t it stand out how casually Jesus treats death in this account? There was no special potion or concoction that needed to be crafted, no ritual or rite that needed to take place. There were no steps to carry out beforehand for it all to work out. Jesus simply told a little girl to wake up from her nap. That is what death is to Jesus! What do we, who are in Jesus, have to fear?!?

So let us apply this to our own death, and to the deaths of those we love who are in Christ. When facing what appears to be imminent death, is God able to intervene and hold off death? Absolutely. We know he is. But will he choose to do so just because he can? Not always, for he personally knows two things that we can’t fully grasp.

One, he knows how much more incredible it is for the believer to cross the finish line home into heaven. What a great reminder for us to shift away from speaking of those who have died as being “taken from this world.” Death is not being taken from this world; rather, it is being brought into the presence of Jesus!

Two, Jesus fully knows that death is a short-lived sleep from which all physical bodies of believers will be raised. We will be glorified to live eternally in the new heaven and earth that is coming. And it will be one without cemeteries.

Therefore, we can face death fearlessly. Having been washed in the waters of our baptism, having been fed a steady diet of Word and Sacrament, having heard the absolving words of Jesus from the pages of Scripture and from the lips of fellow believers, “you are forgiven,” death is nothing more than a peaceful sleep, a restful nap, that does more than just open a window into pleasant dreams, but ushers us into the perfect reality of home in heaven. 

The raising of Jairus’ daughter was not the headliner – just the opening act. The real performance was Jesus’ own death and resurrection! Because of that, death and fear do not go hand-in-hand for the believer.

Here is a reminder from Hebrews to cement this truth in your hearts. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15). In Christ, God took on a body so that the power of death could be broken and that we would be freed from death and freed from being enslaved by the fear of death.

Defying death is not death-defying. There is no danger or risk in dealing confidently with death. You know and believe in the One who undid death. So be unafraid to discuss death with others, and alleviate their fears by pointing them to Jesus, who defied death for us.

Real Triumph

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(1 John 5:1-6)

“Jesus Crushed” might have been what the headlines would have read on Good Friday as the story started to spread. To those present, whose eyes had watched the most unjust death sentence ever carried out in all of history, it would have felt like an appropriate description. To those whose ears were filled with his final agonizing cries as God’s Son died, “Jesus Crushed” would have felt like an appropriate breaking news headline for what they witnessed firsthand. It certainly appeared that way.

But Easter Sunday exposed the headline as fake news – or entirely incomplete, anyway. The headline had to be extended to accurately reflect the truth: “Jesus Crushed… the Serpent’s Head!”

Jesus wasn’t defeated on Good Friday; rather, he was delivering the death blow to his enemy. Jesus was unraveling all of Satan’s plans to leave mankind culpable and condemned by sin. Jesus hadn’t been overcome by the plans his enemy had carried out. Instead, by those very plans he had overcome the enemy and won the ultimate victory, guaranteeing forgiveness and eternal salvation. No, Jesus hadn’t been crushed; he had carried out the crushing blow. He had overcome. 

That understanding provides some context to John’s words in our verses. “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is theSon of God” (v.4-5). The victory, the triumph is real, and it belongs to those who belong to Jesus by faith.

The certainty of our connection to Christ and his victory on our behalf is one of the beautiful blessings of baptism, spelled out for us in Romans 3, where Paul wrote, “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3-4). Just as surely as he died and rose, so in baptism we have died and risen with him. He has overcome; so, therefore, have we!

But what are we talking about? Really, what does it mean for us as believers to have the assurance of this victory, this triumph? What does it mean that we who are born of God “overcome the world?”

Admittedly, it does sound like a pretty pumped up pep talk to know that we’ve overcome the world, but that elation will fade pretty quickly if it doesn’t translate into understanding for us. Otherwise, it would be like flipping through channels to stumble upon some infomercial that grabs our attention because of the guy’s energy level and excitement. While we pause because we are drawn to that energy and excitement, if after a few moments we still can’t figure out what product he’s peddling, then we’ll just resume flipping through the channels. So for this confidence that we “overcome the world” to resonate with us, we really have to understand what John is telling us. 

Let’s not overthink it. Take that word “overcome” and flip it around. We know what it’s like to be overcome by something. Someone trying to explain their out-of-character behavior might chalk it up to being overcome with emotion. Parents watch their child’s team play a great game, only to see the other team overcome them in the end and steal the victory. 

Perhaps another common word speaks to us a little more clearly: overwhelmed. When we talk about being burdened or overcome we are saying that we’re overwhelmed. It’s too much. We have too much on our plate. We can’t keep our head above water. We aren’t getting done everything that needs to get done, or at least aren’t getting it done as well as it needs to get done. We’re failing. We’re suffocating. We’re overwhelmed and overcome. Sometimes it may even just be a feeling or emotion we’re experiencing and aren’t sure why. One way or another, we’ve all experienced that overwhelm to some degree! So how do we get the upper hand when we’re feeling overwhelmed, overcome? We tell ourselves the truth.

A pastor friend shared an insightful encouragement that he had recently come across that he found helpful to pass on to others: “Talk to yourself more than you listen to yourself.”

Think about it. Nobody talks to you on any given day more than you talk to yourself. The conversations, the dialogue – it’s going on non-stop in your head. It’s the thoughts you have about another person who enters the room. It’s the way you react when you read something online. It’s the memory that is narrated in your head when a nostalgic aroma arises.

Every experience we have throughout the day involves some back and forth inside our minds. That’s fine – so long as we realize we’re in control of what we tell ourselves. We determine the narrative. And we can tell ourselves either the lies that the devil would have us repeat or we can tell ourselves the truth that God reveals to us in his Word.  

So hear again the truth that God reveals to us in his Word for any who for any reason whatsoever are feeling overwhelmed and overcome in this world: “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is theSon of God” (v.4-5). Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God? Then the world doesn’t overcome you; rather, you overcome the world. In and through Jesus, we have victory. We will triumph. 

Let’s also understand what this does not mean. It isn’t a guarantee that he’ll get the girl or that she’ll get the guy. This is not a blank-check promise that you’ll land the job of your dreams or get accepted into your first choice for college. This is not the promise of some divine forcefield that will shield you from every financial woe or sickness. 

No, it’s actually better than all of that. John’s promise that we overcome is directly connected to some of the most powerful, peace-possessing words our Savior ever spoke. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

I absolutely love these words of Jesus! He tells us like it is. He doesn’t pretend to hide the ugliness of our broken world with some flowery greeting-card language, but gives it to us straight. Yes, ours is a dysfunctional and distraught world… and Jesus has overcome it. This world’s troubles are not permanent. The best is yet to come, and it is ours because he has overcome. Take heart! Have peace!

Occasionally at a sporting event, you may hear the players or fans cheering a familiar chant at some point in the game. They’ll repeat the words, “We believe that we will win. We believe that we will win.” Each refrain gets louder and more intense, as the players do their best to rally and win. Such a chant can inject the confidence needed to pull out the victory. 

As Christians we can chant something similar. But we need to change it slightly because we already know the outcome. “We believe that we have won! We believe that we have won!”

We have. We know where we’re going. We know the worst of this world is temporary. We know we overcome. We know it. How can we be so sure?

John provides proof to eliminate any doubts that may exist. He points to the evidence in verse six. “This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.” Even though there are a number of ways these words could be interpreted, any way we take them, John’s purpose is the same – he’s pointing to proof that Jesus was and is who he claimed to be. The Messiah. Our Savior. Our Redeemer. 

One interpretation takes John’s words to refer to his own eyewitness testimony of Jesus’ crucifixion. To make sure Jesus was dead, when his side was pierced, John’s Gospel points out that not just blood, but blood AND water flowed from the wound. Jesus had really died.

A second interpretation takes the water to be a reference to the start of Jesus’ public ministry at his baptism and the blood to refer to the completion of his ministry by his sacrifice on the cross.

A third interpretation takes the water, blood, and Spirit to picture the means of grace. The water refers to baptism and the blood to Holy Communion. Together with the powerful promises of the Word, the Holy Spirit uses those means to testify and proclaim the truth of the gospel, by which he creates and strengthens faith.

Whichever interpretation one takes, they all serve the same purpose of the author here: to provide proof that we can know beyond mere speculation or feelings or emotions that because of Jesus’ completed work as our Savior, we overcome. We have the assurance of real triumph. Live in that triumph as you remember your baptism. Celebrate that triumph through the Supper. 

In light of our triumph, our victory, consider some of the differences between the behavior of the losing side versus the winning side. Losers are dejected. Losers make excuses. Losers blame the refs. Losers give up. Losers complain about it not being fair.

We aren’t losers. In Christ we are triumphant. We win because he wins. Winners are joy-filled. Winners celebrate each other. Winners keep working hard. Winners give credit where it’s due. Winners love God by carrying out his commands. Live like it! Love others like it. That’s how we celebrate that Jesus crushed the serpent’s head and has overcome. That’s how we celebrate real triumph!

Real Love

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(1 John 4:7-11, 19-21)

Who is it for you? An organization or a cause? A political candidate or political party? When you know the topic is love, you already know there isn’t going to be some profound revelation or new discovery regarding what the Bible has to say about love. It’s simple. Love God. Love others. Why? Because God loves you. There’s no way around it, and that will be the same message about love that you will hear from the Bible as long as you keep on reading it, listening to it, and studying it.

But it would be quite naive of us to think that just because we know what the Bible tells us about loving others that we would somehow arrive at a point when we wouldn’t need to hear it again. By that line of reasoning, a parent should only have to tell a child to go to bed at bedtime once and it should never be an issue again, right? At most, none of us should ever get more than one speeding ticket, if that, because once the officer informs us that we’re breaking the law when we exceed the speed limit, it shouldn’t happen again once we have that information. If doing what we’re supposed to do was merely a matter of information, then life would be a piece of cake!

Ah, if only it were that simple. But loving others isn’t merely a matter of transferring information; it’s a matter of transformation. If we are to carry out the kind of love God calls us to, a pretty monumental change has to take place. Where? In us.

We actually do know how to love. That isn’t the problem. We’re actually really good at it naturally. The problem just happens to be where our love is directed. I love me. And you love you. And everything in our own little personal bubbles essentially revolves around that. So if I am instead going to redirect that love toward others, as God would have me do, well, that’s unnatural. So something has to change. Something supernatural.

That’s really the message we need to keep hearing, and John repeats it for us. “God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (v.8-11). It isn’t likely new news to anyone reading this that God is love. We’ve all heard it before. We’ve seen it on wall art or displayed on the back of the car in front of us or any number or places. But for those three words to hit home, we have to personally apply them. That God who is love doesn’t just love everyone; he loves me.

Me who knows what it’s like to feel unappreciated and unloved… by my own parents. Or my children. By my supposedly close friend. By my own family. By my coworkers or classmates. By my teacher. By my coach. By my spouse. By my boss. We all have our own list, which may change for us in different seasons of life, but we all know too well, whether it’s reality or our perception, what it’s like to feel unloved. 

And these words from John remind us that that feeling is never actually reliable, because the “God-is-love” God is the God who loves me. And you. And always will.

What makes this love difficult for us to embrace and accept is that deep down inside, we know how undeserving we are of it. We have a pretty good of how many daily reasons we give for God not to love us – through our thoughts, works, and actions. Verse twenty hits just one of them, and there are so many more. John warned, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen” (v.20). I might think “hate” to be too strong a word to describe me, but John expands it to include any failure of loving our brother or sister, or anyone for that matter. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it makes us out to be liars to claim to love God while loathing someone else. 

And you’ll notice there are no disclaimers or allowances or exceptions. God doesn’t say we’re off the hook if it’s someone who is really hard to love. Or someone who posted something nasty online about you or someone you care about. Or someone who stole from you. Or even if it’s someone who has really hurt us or traumatized us or messed with our heads and hearts.

There are no love loopholes. We are called to embody Jesus’ perfect love to all people. And we don’t. And our guilty consciences tell us what we deserve when we don’t. 

The awareness of this guilt is evident to me as a pastor. One of the most common fears people share with me is wondering where they really stand before God because of a person or relationship they can’t bring themselves to love. Or, they agonize over how much of a struggle it is. So yes, our own consciences convict us of not loving others perfectly or completely.

And if we have somehow managed to fleece or foil our own conscience into thinking that we have no problem loving others, God’s Word makes clear what the consequence is for anything less than 100% complete and total love for others. Just one chapter earlier in this very letter John wrote, “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him” (1 John 3:15). There’s no way around it – we know what even our lukewarm love deserves!

Yet… still God loves us!

How can we know? That’s the part of John’s description we must never tire of hearing. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (v.10). God’s Son was not sent into this world only for those who love well, not for those whose love has never faltered, and not even for those who are pretty convinced their love for God meets his expectations. If those were the type of people God had sent his Son into the world for, he would have come up empty-handed. No such person has ever existed. No, Jesus came into this world to render the payment necessary for the pervasive lack of love. 

Jesus offered up himself as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, including but not limited to our lack of love. Jesus has restored our relationship with God that had been totaled by our sin and he has shown us what sacrificial love in action looks like. His love for others – for you and me and all people – was not deterred by selfishness or self-love. He loved – and loves – perfectly.

He loved you by never faltering in the face of temptation. He loved you by loving his enemies perfectly in your place. He loved you not just with words and speech about loving his neighbors, but by showing them in so often meeting their physical needs and healing their hurts. He loved you all the way to the cross and out of the empty tomb. The Resurrection reality is that in Jesus Christ we not only see what real love looks like; we also see that real love is ours. That real love is for us. 

So, we can now love others, too.

Why does it matter so much that we pour ourselves into loving others? So that others may come to know the source of that love. “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (v.7).

Yes, God is love. You know that. I know that. Others may have heard the phrase, but they don’t know what we’ve just been talking about. They don’t know that kind of radical love. In his Gospel and all of his letters in the Bible, John more than any other writer stresses how important it is for us as Christians to love – so that the source of love can be made known. So that others, through our love, would come to know the One from whom it all emanates: God their Savior. 

Without knowing that kind of love, the world’s understanding and definition of love is really quite pitiful.  Somebody suggests a fun activity together and we’d love to. We love this place or that place to eat. We’re in love with this store or that style. We love your outfit. We love it when that happens. We love that book/movie/song/etc. We love so many things so much that we’ve diluted love altogether to essentially strip it of any real meaning. 

So let’s show a better love. A real love. Let’s love the erratic driver with a prayer for him. Let’s love the protestor who cares enough about a cause to do something instead of just spewing snarky words from behind a screen or behind closed doors. Let’s love the walker or hiker with the never-ending stories by taking the time just to listen to them on occasion. Let’s love the neighbor whose language and customs and culture are so different from ours. Let’s, even after a drama-filled, mentally and emotionally exhausting day ourselves, love our children with the gift of time together. Let’s love our spouse with more yeses and fewer excuses. Let’s love our coworker by letting them receive the praise for the project. Let’s love the addict by trying to better understand what his world is like. Let’s love by offering the ride even when it is utterly inconvenient. Let’s love by opening our home more often for meals with others. 

When we love in these ways and so many others, we take the world’s diluted love and saturate it, making it something special. When we love in these ways we demonstrate another kind of love that only finds its source in Jesus. And our prayer – and God’s intent – is that through our love others would eventually be channeled to the source of that excellent love that we find only in Christ. 

Then, like dominoes, Christ’s love begins to flow through their lives as well. Secured with the gifts of peace, joy, forgiveness, and the assurance of eternal life, they are free to love others, too. And the cycle continues, always seeing love draw others to Christ like a magnet, to show them a radical love that lasts into eternity. Not like the best kind of love the world could ever offer, but far better: real love.