The Victor reigns triumphant.

Sermon for Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father—to whom be the glory forever and ever.  Amen.

Revelation 19:11-16  ¹¹ I saw heaven standing open, and there was a white horse!  Its rider is called Faithful and True, and he judges and makes war in righteousness.  ¹² His eyes are like blazing flames, and on his head are many crowns.  He has a name written on him, which no one knows except he himself.  ¹³ He is also clothed in a garment that had been dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.  ¹⁴ The armies in heaven, which were clothed with white, clean, fine linen, were following him on white horses.  ¹⁵ Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.  He will shepherd them with an iron staff.  He himself is going to trample the winepress of the fierce anger of the Almighty God.  ¹⁶ On his garment and on his thigh this name is written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (EHV)

The Victor reigns triumphant.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,

            When a war ends, a lot of work remains.  In an earthly war, buildings, infrastructure, the economy, and relationships must be rebuilt.  When a civil war is won, it is especially important for the future of that nation, for the victor to reestablish harmony with the people and to root out any remaining opposition.  It is much the same in the Kingdom of God.  Jesus has won the complete victory over sin, Satan, and death—the rebellion has been put down—all authority in heaven and on earth has been put under Jesus’ feet, and our text shows, The Victor reigns triumphant.

In the devil’s rebellion, mankind was deceived and became a willing partner in Satan’s revolt.  From the moment sin entered this world, we each wanted to be our own little god, who would decide for ourselves the right and wrong, but mostly, selfishness ruled us.

Into this troublesome existence, the Son of God came to restore the peace, harmony, and tranquility that Adam and Eve enjoyed with the Lord in the Garden of Eden.  To win the war Satan had begun, Jesus had to defeat temptation, selfishness, pride, and finally death.  Temptation, because that is how the devil leads his rebel hoard.  Selfishness, because the sinner recognizes no greater authority than himself.  Pride, because in the fall, mankind was deceived into believing that knowing evil was something to be desired.  And finally, death, because the wages of sin is death.

Jesus conquered it all, and the victory was complete when He declared confidently from the cross, “It is finished.”  From that moment forward, the civil war was truly over.  The devil was forever exiled in the bowels of the pit of hell, chained from ever again accusing those he had misled. 

For His victory, Jesus is given authority over heaven and earth.  Yet, work remains, and in the words of our text, we have a picture of how The Victor reigns triumphant in His Kingdom.

Jesus willingly laid down His life to rescue those the devil had deceived and enslaved.  In humility, Jesus defeated temptation, pride, and selfishness with His perfect life and humble obedience to His Father’s will.  The last enemy to be defeated was death.  Death was the devil’s trump card.  With it, the devil kept us terrified of the end of our days here on earth.  But, Satan over bit.  When death clamped down on Jesus that first Good Friday, it swallowed the One who has power over life and death.  Jesus told His disciples, “I lay down my life so that I may take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.  I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again.  This is the commission I received from my Father.” (John 10:17-18)

In the book of Judges, we learned that when mighty Samson was a young man, he was attacked by a lion, and with his bare hands, Samson grabbed the jaws of the attacker and destroyed the destroyer by tearing it in two.  Likewise, Jesus destroyed death with His bare hands as He ripped its jaws in two when He rose from the tomb Easter morning.  The grave couldn’t hold Jesus, and it can no longer hold us either.

In our text, John reports his vision of the Victor, our dear Savior.  John said, “I saw heaven standing open, and there was a white horse!  Its rider is called Faithful and True, and he judges and makes war in righteousness.”  With His victory won, and His kingdom firmly established, Jesus now works to rebuild what was destroyed in the rebellion. 

An ordinary king, in this world, might seek to destroy any remaining rebels.  Jesus goes a different way.  He makes war in righteousness.  Rather than try to destroy the rebels, Jesus reaches out to them with His truth and His promise of reconciliation by His own blood.  His Church in the world carries the message that all sin is forgiven, that the guilt for every rebellious act has been paid for by the One who will now judge.  In His perfect righteousness, Christ is faithful to His Father’s will “who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4)

Easter celebrates Jesus’ victory.  That victory is also ours through faith in Him.  Jesus won His kingdom with humility, kindness, submission, and grace.  He restores peace with the rebellious through the kindness of His Word, and the blessing of the Sacraments.  Jesus opens His arms in sweet invitation offering free forgiveness and peace.  Yet, the picture of our text warns that those who refuse His mercy in order to remain aligned with the devil will not escape Christ’s judgment. 

Jesus is no weak king.  There is steel in His determination that no rebels will abide in the kingdom of heaven.  “His eyes are like blazing flames, and on his head are many crowns.  He has a name written on him, which no one knows except he himself.”  The blazing eyes show us that Jesus has the omnipotence of God.  Nothing escapes His notice.  No sinner can hide anything from Jesus’ attention.  The crowns on His head show that no one will escape Christ’s judgment for He rules all things.  Through Isaiah, God said, “I have sworn by myself.  From my mouth a righteous word has gone out, and it will not return unfulfilled.  Indeed, to me every knee will bow, and every tongue will swear allegiance.” (Isaiah 45:23)

Dear friends, the book of the Revelation was written to comfort Christians who were under attack and persecution in the world.  Jesus told His disciples, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated me first.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, for that very reason the world hates you.” (John 15:13)  The people still in rebellion against our God naturally persecute the children of God, sometimes intentionally, otherwise just in the hostile convictions of opposing world views.  Those who remain rebellious often think themselves in control, fooling themselves into thinking they will escape God’s judgment.  This text shows otherwise.

John wrote, “He is also clothed in a garment that had been dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.  The armies in heaven, which were clothed with white, clean, fine linen, were following him on white horses.  Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.  He will shepherd them with an iron staff.  He himself is going to trample the winepress of the fierce anger of the Almighty God.”  Here we see a picture of Judgment Day.  In His mercy, God has offered reconciliation and peace to all who will recognize His reign.  For the last two thousand years, Jesus has been sending out His emissaries, offering forgiveness full and free—no price is demanded, no grudge is held, no retribution for sins hangs over our heads, because by His sacrifice, Jesus made full satisfaction for the debts of all people. 

However, there is an end to God’s patience with the rebels, and an end to the world’s time of grace.  The picture here given shows the Victor riding over the rebellious crushing His enemies underneath.  Jesus has won the victory over sin, devil, and death.  Therefore, anyone who refuses His mercy will face eternal judgment.  Many people pretend that it doesn’t matter what god you believe in as long as you are sincere in your faith—To the contrary,

This is what the true God says, the Lord who creates the heavens and stretches them out, who spreads out the earth and everything that it produces, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk on it.  “I am the Lord.  I have called you in righteousness.  I will hold on to your hand, and I will guard you.  I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people, to be a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring the prisoners out from the dungeon, and to bring those who sit in darkness out of prison.  I am the Lord; that is my name.  I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to idols.” (Isaiah 42:5-8)

Dear friends, Jesus told His friends, “In this world you are going to have trouble.  But be courageous!  I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)  In our times, we again hear about persecution in various places.  Some places, that persecution is severe leading to the deaths of thousands of believers.  In other places, such as our own, the persecution is more subtle, and often simply the trials of ordinary temptation so common to all times and places.  Yet, the rebels continue to use their guerrilla tactics as they serve the deceiver.  Easter is the day we are assured that Christ’s victory is also ours.

On Easter morning, we rejoice because Jesus lives.  This is our sure proof that the victory is won.  Christ has restored us to the peace of Paradise.  His resurrection assures us that every promise God made is true.  It proves that Jesus really is the Son of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Easter also shows us that we dare not take Jesus lightly.  Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)  The Kingdom of Heaven is not built on fear but on grace.  Yet, true faith also has a proper respect for every aspect and message of the God who saves us. 

Our text offers several names of our God and Savior: Faithful and True—Word of God—King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  This is our Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  He took your sins away and forgave every debt you owed to His Father.  He has washed you clean and holy in the blood of His sacrifice.  Tremble before the Lord your God, not in terror, but in gratitude and thanksgiving for the love He shows you on a daily basis.  Know that you have peace with God, and no matter what evil this world might throw your way, know that your Savior will judge all things on the final day, for His victory is sure and complete. 

Near the end of the book of the Revelation, we receive this promise: “Look!  God’s dwelling is with people.  He will dwell with them, and they will be his people.  God himself will be with them, and he will be their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain, because the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)  Therefore, know with sure confidence that though we may face trouble and persecution for a few days here on earth, we will live and reign with Jesus in heaven forever, for by Jesus’ victory, you have been restored to peace with God, and for you, The Victor reigns triumphant.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.