Years ago on a Sunday evening I was on a jet flying back from San Diego. It didn’t take me any time to discover that most of the people on board were Seattle Sea Hawks football fans on their flight home after watching their team lose to San Diego that afternoon.
Were they hurting? Yes—it hurts to lose. They talked about lots of things about the game—their quarterback getting injured, their wide receiver setting a new record. But what impressed me the most as I sat there listening was their total, enthusiastic confidence that the Sea Hawks were still the best
—“Next time we’re gonna win!”
—“Those Sea Hawks have what it takes!”
—“They’re going to make it to the play off’s yet!”
—“Super Bowl, here we come!”
—“You just wait! —”Yea! Sea Hawks!!”
Never have I seen such loyal and enthusiastic fans in all my life! No gloom and doom on that plane!
Sitting there, I found myself thinking . . . “My! I wish Christians were more like that! I wish I were more like that!” All too often I have found myself looking about at all the defeats in the lives of individual Christians. I thought of big name Christian leaders messing up their lives. I sensed the forces of darkness all around that seem so powerful. I found myself saying, “Yep, that’s just what the Bible says—difficult times will come—evil men will become worse and worse. In fact, the Bible says things would get so bad that the time would come when godless people would kill a Christian and then say that they have done God a favor! Well, maybe from here on out I guess we just sort of hang in there and hope for Jesus to come soon.”
Sometimes out walking at night I will begin to think this way . . . no optimism, no expectation, no enthusiasm. Then I will stop in my tracks and say to myself “Hey! Wait a minute! God is right now on His throne—the ruler of the universe. He hasn’t given up his throne; He isn’t threatened—not even slightly; not at all! No nervous pacing back and forth in His throne room, ringing His hands in despair over the way things are going down on the tiny planet. Just the opposite.
Listen to what God says through his apostle Paul—
“But thanks be unto God who gives you the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord! (1 Cor. 15:57-58)
—And then in the very next chapter Paul says, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong!” (1 Cor. 16:13) God is going to win . . . and that means that we are going to win! Because nothing can separate us from God anymore.
Illustration: Can you remember one of those football or basketball games when the clock is ticking off the last minute or 2— and because of the score—you KNEW you had won! Oh, the game wasn’t over, but you knew for sure you would win. There’s something very special about playing then—during the last minutes or seconds—a sense of freedom, exhilaration.
So it is, as we Christians look ahead. Regardless of the struggles you and I may have between now and the final victory, the BIG WIN has already been decided! It’s already in the books—God’s Book! Settled 2000 years ago at the cross and the empty tomb. And because of that, we can throw ourselves into whatever we are doing to the glory of God with no restraint. The big win is guaranteed! Written not with ink, but with the blood of Jesus!
Because of Him, you and I are free to live for Him with unrestrained enthusiasm. That’s true for all of God’s people. We are all “more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loves us” And never forget, the big win for you—for you personally—it is already in the books. It was written in God’s book of life the day you placed your faith in Jesus Christ as the one who took on himself all of your sin—and with it went to the cross to take the wrath of God, which should have been yours.
Most of us have been in huge stadiums packed with 1000’s of shouting, excited, enthusiastic people. The sound can be deafening! I’ve never been to a super bowl, but I can imagine what it would be like.
No, the Sea Hawks didn’t win their next game; they didn’t make it to the playoffs. They missed the Super Bowl. In fact those cheering rooters on that plane were quite wrong about their team.
—But that is impossible to be so with God. When king Jesus comes to reign, the praise of the entire universe is going to make the stadiums of the world sound like a whisper!
We’re going to win.
—The Bible says, “All creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19). Not only that, but the day will come when “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:10-11).
So it is, right now we must affirm the truth—”What shall we say to these things—if God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, how will he not also free give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)
