It was a typical Monday evening on January 2, 2023. The Buffalo Bills were facing off with the Cincinnati Bengals at the Cincinnati Stadium. Thousands of fans were in their seats waiting for the start of the spectacle to cheer their favorite team on. All the preparations were made; millions of dollars were spent on and then the game finally started. Each team decisively tried to gain a touchdown when just 5 minutes before the first quarter ended, Buffalo Bills safety, Damar Hamlin, collapsed on the field. Everyone was astonished. It was reported to the entire stadium that Damar was in full cardiac arrest. Everyone on the field went from being a participant to being a spectator in a life-changing moment. NFL players experienced now a triggering traumatic event that if truth be told, everyone knew at this point, football was no longer a priority, but the wellbeing of a fellow team player. NFL representatives made a statement, “Damar Hamilton is No. 1 concern at this point,” and ultimately the game was cancelled. Damar awoke after two days in the hospital, being only able to communicate by writing. He wrote a note to his medical team asking them, “Did we win?” The medical team acknowledged saying, “Yes, Damar, you won. You have won the game of life.” Fund raisers and prayers poured in throughout the nation and in the end, Damar recovered. While this story shows the passion and faith of people especially in time of need, it also shows us something rather significant! As Christians, are we winning? Are we winning souls, and are we winning the war with evil? For Damar, his war with life offset himself some, but his first thought was on what he had worked so hard to accomplish, knowing it was a team effort, not just about himself. Let me ask you this morning! What game are we Christians playing where our focus is not on God but other things? It is no secret friends that as followers of Jesus the Risen Christ, spiritual war will be with us until we are called home—always knowing we are an enemy to the world. Being a Christian by itself has its own hazards. Scripture does tell us in Paul’s letter to the Romans “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” So let us start our journey in todays reading as you already heard from the Gospel of Mark chapter 6. Jesus and His disciples entered His own hometown on the sabbath day and He began to teach in the synagogue or church. As they entered Nazareth, the people knew Jesus as being the son of Mary and Joseph, not as the son of God. Even in His hometown, Jesus was ultimately rejected. Jesus proclaimed to them, “A prophet is not dishonored except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” Would this not make you feel seriously disappointed and uncomfortable? Doing God’s work, performing miracles through the power of God and ultimately saving people and yet your own parents, relatives and friends say to you, “Who do you think you are? You come in here showing up to us, being all high and mighty and performing magic tricks. Pretending to be a Godly servant. We know where you come from and who you were!” You see friends, from the very beginning of Jesus Ministry, the disciples witnessed firsthand the pain of rejection, unfavorable demeanors and unwelcoming people, all because of following God and His will to be done. Its times like this where you think, “Am I really doing God’s work while losing people so close to me?” Even in the midst of Jesus rejection in His own hometown, that did not stop Him from doing exactly what He came here to do which is to save the lost which is the heart of the Gospel. Continuing at verse 7, And He [Jesus] summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; 8 and He instructed them that they were to take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— 9 but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not wear two tunics.”
What you’re seeing here is Jesus saying, Go in my name as you will have power and authority over all evil things. But how can this be? They witnessed rejection, slander, rebellion and downright mud thrown in Jesus’ face just for trying to help people. Just in view of these facts, did Jesus seem to win the war against evil? At first glance it doesn’t appear so does it. Yet, what the world seems to forget is God is not limited and Satan is already destroyed, but remember; as followers of Christ, we live by faith, not by sight! When we experience God we experience His true nature overall, not by certain battles that appear to be lost. Let us go to verse 10, And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. 11 Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet as a testimony against them.” Friends, some people even those that claim to know and follow God will indeed reject God especially when it doesn’t fit their fancy! I can’t help to wonder; did the disciples not give these people a warm and fuzzy feeling when the Gospel was ministered to them? Did they not receive what they wanted to hear? It’s very possible because you see friends, just because people reject God’s word does not mean Christians stop working to spread the Gospel!
Pastor Al Hsu wrote of a story when he was in high school he attended a Christian camp for kids. Amongst the many activities was a canoe race. Now in this race not everyone had a canoe—some were leaky row boats as well with makeshift paddles of tree branches and even brooms. The idea of the race was to gain comradery and have fun. Al and his team rowed exclusively towards the finish line and ultimately won the race while cheering loudly and laughing with excitement. As they waited for the remaining participants to cross the finish line, he saw several teams struggling with their boats from their makeshift oars breaking to even several boats starting to take on water which many expressed frustration and disgust. After the event the camp coordinator asked Al “Why did you not go back to help those struggling?” Looking all surprised he said, “I didn’t know I was supposed to!” You see friends, Al and his team won the race, but that did NOT remove them from their responsibility to help others, even those that choose to lose or just have plain misfortune. As good soldiers of Christ, we should be a dedicated people to get the job done in serving and honoring Christ even in the midst of adversity, failures and rejection. Like it or not, we are always on the warpath with evil until the day God calls us home—all the while preparing for battle using the whole armor of God which are the Helmet of Salvation, Sheild of Faith, Breastplate of Righteousness, Belt of Truth, Sword of the Spirit and the Gospel of Peace—all because we fight the battle of evil every single day. In closing friends, in asking the original question, Did we win! I have some news to tell you this morning. The war against evil has been won for centuries. Those who call Christ their Lord and Savior and who’s names are written in the lamb’s book of life already have the victory. There is nothing for Satan to win except to try and draw people away from God. Amen.
There is however a sobering thought I would like for you to reflect upon this morning. For those people whom do not choose to know God and their names are NOT written in the lambs book of life, they have something to seriously worry about. Mattew 25 tells us “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” 2 Peter tells us “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.” Revelation 20 says “And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” For those that reject God, for those that resist God and those who think they know God and are on the far left, sheol is where they will end up according to scripture. Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians says These people will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified among His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—because our testimony to you was believed.
We are defeating evil every single day! Yes, we are winning the war because the war already has a victor—the lamb of God who died on the cross for your sins and mine. Whom died, buried and on the third day rose again. Our victory is guaranteed with daily battles that are won by doing God’s work with His strength to win souls to Christl. We are NOT to ignore our duty as good soldiers of Christ but indeed we are to uphold what is true, just and everlasting which is only found in the one true living God, the great I Am, the Alpha and Omega, our savior Jesus the Risen Christ.
Repeat these words, The Battle is already won! I will stand firm in Christ! I will hold my position in Christ! I will see God’s salvation, as I will not be troubled, for every single day I live, I live for Christ, who is with me! Thanks be to God who gives me the victory through my Risen Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, whom I know, will fight for me, and all I have to do, is silently wait. Amen.