I am writing this article on the day after some amazing wins! The Buffalo Bills defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 27 to 6. Sports announcers are saying that this was the biggest NFL upset since 1995. The Bills, 17 point underdogs, clobbered the Vikings in a stunning victory. But, that’s not all! Tiger Woods that same afternoon won the PGA Tour Championship, his first victory in five years. That’s still not all! On Saturday the UB Bulls defeated Rutgers to move to a 4-0 season. Winners!
I suppose if you’re not a sports fan these victories may not mean too much. As I listened to the Monday morning news programs and radio stations, there was almost an electric excitement! The unexpected victories seemed to give everyone a shot of adrenaline! After all, who doesn’t enjoy winning? Especially when you’re expected to lose!
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Christians in Rome, writes “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!” We are winners! We were even greater underdogs than the Bills! We were lost in our sinfulness and could not pull out a victory on our own. But Jesus came and pulled off a great victory when He humbled Himself to His Father’s will and died on the cross to pay for all the sins of all people. To many, including the disciples of Jesus, it looked like Jesus was going to suffer a great defeat at the hands of His enemies. He was ridiculed, mocked, beaten and crucified. Yet three days later He confirmed the greatest upset of all times. Sin, death and satan had been soundly defeated. So, now all who believe in Him and are baptized into unity with Him are conquerors and winners with Him in His death and resurrection! While we were still hopelessly lost sinners (underdogs), Christ died for us! By His grace we are saved, through faith, and not that of ourselves. It is a gift of God. We cannot boast about saving ourselves, but we certainly can boast about the victory our Lord has won for us! (Ephesians 2:8-9)
It’s been interesting to see and experience the change that this huge victory of the Buffalo Bills has generated. Now there’s hope! There’s anticipation and enthusiasm for the up coming games, where only hours before there was disappointment and dread. Likewise, our victory and salvation through Jesus generates great hope and anticipation for the future. We are more than conquerors! We are winners! And nothing can separate us from this victory in Christ. Hopefully the Buffalo Bills will continue to win, but there’s no guarantee. Our victory in Jesus, however, is guaranteed. We are already the super bowl (Baptism) winners in Jesus Christ!
To God be all the glory!
~ Pastor Dennis J. Krueger