church

INI
All Saints’ Day
November 4, 2012
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

CHRISTIANS ARE HAPPY WARRIORS
Matthew 5:10-12

Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus, Amen. The Word of God that we will
consider this morning is a portion of our Gospel reading for today, Matthew
chapter five, verses 10-12, as follows:

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you,
and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 "Rejoice and be
exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the
prophets who were before you. So far the Holy word.

In the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, from Whose love we can never be
separated, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

In 1807, the English poet William Wordsworth published what was to become
one of his most famous poems. Entitled, “The Happy Warrior,” it was written
in honor of Admiral Lord Nelson, hero of the battle of Trafalgar. The poem
describes the ideal soldier, one who can face hardship and adversity nobly and
cheerfully, content in the knowledge that his cause is just. That certainly
described Nelson who, although he was wounded many times, and was missing
an arm and an eye, was Britain’s most effective naval commander ever. Yet this
great man was also by all accounts humble and gentle. His unflagging optimism
inspired fierce loyalty and love in those who served under him. Wordsworth’s
poem about him became famous, and ever since then, the term “happy warrior”
has been used to describe people like Nelson – people who face severe
opposition and hardship, and yet continue to fight on cheerfully and effectively
in a just cause.

You know, there’s a whole class of people who fit that description perfectly.
They’re called Christians. These are the followers of Jesus of Nazareth who,
down through the ages, have faced the bitter scorn and enmity and persecution
of the world around them. That persecution still exists in our world; some feel
it’s on the rise here in our own country. Maybe you’ve felt saddened and hurt by
the way the world around you treats Christians. Maybe you’ve felt persecuted
yourself. Or maybe you haven’t, and are wondering why not! In either case,
you’ll find answers in our text for today. Jesus tells us that:

CHRISTIANS ARE HAPPY WARRIORS

I. We’re fighting in a righteous cause.
II. We’re fighting for a great reward.
III. We’re fighting in the best company.

Our text for today comes from the most famous part of Jesus’ Sermon on the
Mount. It’s the part most everyone knows by heart, where Jesus says, e.g.,
Blessed are the poor in spirit…blessed are those who mourn…blessed are the
meek, etc. These sayings are sometimes called the “macarisms,” because the
Greek word used, makarios, is an adjective that means “blessed.” But it means
more than that, really. A person can have many blessings and still be miserable.
But someone who is markarios is a person who has an inner happiness, a joy
that pervades his whole being. Ironically, the people Jesus mentions are the very
ones you’d think least likely to be happy – the poor in spirit, the meek, those
who mourn. And that’s especially true of the last macarism – verses 10-12 – our
text for today. Blessed are those who are persecuted, Jesus says.

Persecute, by the way, is also a very expressive word. A persecutor is not
someone who’s neutral toward you or is mildly annoyed by you. A persecutor is
someone who hates you, someone who will actively pursue you for the purpose
of making you suffer, for the sole reason that you’re a Christian. Well, who
would enjoy that? Who would ever think persecution could make you happy?
For most people, the result of persecution would obviously be sorrow and
despair. But Christians are different, Jesus says. CHRISTIANS ARE HAPPY
WARRIORS. Why? First of all, because we’re fighting in a righteous cause.

Christians aren’t masochists. We don’t enjoy pain and persecution. And we’re
not fighting just for the sake of fighting. We’re fighting for a cause. Jesus says,
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake.

Last Sunday was Reformation, so we talked a lot about that word
“righteousness.” You remember we said that righteousness is a forensic, or a
courtroom term. It’s the same as being declared “not guilty” in a court of law.
Paul says, But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed,
being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of
God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. -- Romans
3:21-22. God has made that perfect righteousness – that "not guilty" verdict –
available to all people. But he's only made it available in one way – not by
doing good works, not by being a good person, but solely by trusting the blood
and righteousness of Jesus Christ. That is the one way of salvation. That's what
we believe. That's what we stand for. That's the righteous cause in which we
fight. And it’s also what makes us Christians stick out like a sore thumb in this
evil world in which we live. The world hates the Gospel! For the message of the
cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it
is the power of God. -- 1 Corinthians 1:18. And that’s what makes us HAPPY
WARRIORS. Jesus said to His disciples, "Remember the word that I said to
you, `A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will
also persecute you.”

Yes, CHRISTIANS ARE HAPPY WARRIORS. What’s the second reason we
believers can rejoice in the midst of suffering and persecution? Because we’re
fighting for a great reward.

Jesus says, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Those who endure suffering for Jesus’ sake, it
goes without saying, are believers in Jesus. And faith in Christ is the key that
admits you to Christ’s kingdom and entitles you to all His gifts – the Holy
Spirit, forgiveness, peace with God, everlasting life. You don’t have to wait for
that reward, it belongs to you right now. You’re in the kingdom already, by
virtue of your faith.

That’s why we can be HAPPY WARRIORS, and carry on smiling in the face of
persecution. To His believers Jesus says, Blessed are you when they revile and
persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

One note of caution here – Jesus says that persecution is only a blessing if two
things are true: if you're being persecuted falsely, and if you're being persecuted
for Jesus sake. All too often we deserve the bad things people say about us, isn’t
it true? Because we've been foolish, or spiteful, or profane, or deceitful, or
dishonest. Don’t expect God to reward you if you have earned people’s slander
by your own evil actions. Peter says, But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a
thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. 16 Yet, he says, if
anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in
this matter. -- 1 Peter 4:15-16.

Yes, we have failed many times, been guilty of sin many times, been AWOL
from the army of the Lord many times. But we can come back. We can keep
fighting. We can even be HAPPY WARRIORS, because Christ our captain has
redeemed us from all our sins and failures. And what a blessing it is to have
Jesus as our Commander, and to fight under His banner! For He's the one who
endured far more suffering and persecution than any of us ever will, and never
faltered for a moment. For our sakes, He fought the good fight and was
victorious! The writer to the Hebrews says, Look unto Jesus, the author and
finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest
you become weary and discouraged in your souls. -- Hebrews 12:2-3.

Admittance to the army of Christ is reward enough in itself. Just being saved is
an infinite treasure. But there’s more. Did you know that for every bit of
suffering you endure for Christ here on earth, you will receive an increased
reward of glory and joy in heaven? In fact, Jesus says, the worse you have it
here, the happier you should be: "Blessed are you when they revile and
persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12
"Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

Scripture clearly teaches that there are degrees of glory in heaven. Paul tells the
Corinthians that believers in heaven will differ in glory just like the sun moon
and stars differ in brightness: There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the
moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in
glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. -- 1 Corinthians 15:41-42. And
those who suffer most for Christ, those who bear the heaviest crosses, those
who endure the most hardship and suffering and persecution, they will reap the
greatest reward in the life to come! How much did you have endure for Jesus in
this life? How much did you have to sacrifice and give up? Jesus says you won't
lose: Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or
wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and
inherit eternal life. -- Matthew 19:29.

Of course, any scriptural teaching can be twisted and abused, and the doctrine
of degrees of glory is no different. E.g., Rick Warren, the author of the “The
Purpose-driven Life,” turns this teaching into a doctrine of works. He says that
heavenly rewards should be our motivation for doing good works in this life –
so that we can earn a more glorious place in heaven when we die. But that's not
our motivation. It can’t be! Scripture teaches that good works are solely the
fruits of faith in Jesus Christ. Like everything else God does for us, the reward
He has stored up for us in heaven is a reward of His grace. Like everything else,
it’s undeserved. It will be more glorious than we can ever imagine – the reward
each of us receives will far outweigh anything we could ever have earned by our
service to Him here on earth. What happy Warriors we are! For God's grace –
His lavish and prodigal generosity – will always bless our meager efforts with
rewards that far outweigh our actions! The Apostle Paul says there’s no
comparison: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. -- Romans
8:18.

That’s why we CHRISTIANS ARE HAPPY WARRIORS. We’re fighting in a
righteous cause, and we’re fighting for a great reward. But today, on All Saints
Day, we’re especially encouraged to remember that we’re not alone in this
struggle. In fact, we’re fighting in the best company.

Jesus says, when you’re persecuted for righteousness’ sake, Rejoice and be
exceedingly glad. Why? …for so they persecuted the prophets who were before
you.

War is terrible, but it is possible to be a happy warrior, and a lot of it has to do
with the kind of comrades who fight alongside you. In World War I, the famed
German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen commanded Jasta 11, better
known as the Flying Circus Squadron. It attracted all the best fighter pilots of
Germany, and there was a fierce competition to get into it. But it was worth it,
because you got fight alongside the very best. Well, as a Christian you have to
fight, too. You have to endure suffering and hardship and persecution. But you
don't have to do it alone! You have your brethren, your fellow-soldiers here to
help you. But of course the army you serve in is a lot bigger than that. You are
one, in the Church of God, with all the saints and martyrs who have gone
before you in Christ. As a Christian, you belong to the company of all the
mighty prophets who suffered for the sake of the gospel – prophets like Moses,
and Elijah, and Jeremiah. You're in the same fighting unit is St. Peter and St.
Paul. Martin Luther and CFW Walther are your brothers in arms. The writer to
the Hebrews says, Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily
ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. --
Hebrews 12:1. We are not alone! There are many other HAPPY CHRISTIAN
WARRIORS standing right alongside us!

Wordsworth’s famous poem concludes in an interesting way. Despite all the
best efforts of the happy warrior, says the poet, he may still die without fame
and glory, lonely and unsung. But the approval of this world is not what matters
most:

He, not content that former worth stand fast,
Looks forward, persevering to the last,
From well to better, daily self-surpast:
Who, whether praise of him must walk the earth
For ever, and to noble deeds give birth,
Or he must fall, to sleep without his fame,
And leave a dead unprofitable name
Finds comfort in himself and in his cause;
And, while the mortal mist is gathering, draws
His breath in confidence of Heaven's applause:
This is the happy Warrior; this is He
That every Man in arms should wish to be.

We Christians, likewise, are not looking for the world’s applause. It is enough to
find the approval of the great Captain whom we serve, Jesus Christ. So fight the
good fight. Keep the faith. No matter the persecutions, no matter the hardships,
no matter the challenges, you can face it all with calmness and cheerfulness. For
you are HAPPY WARRIORS. You’re fighting in a righteous cause, fighting for
a great reward, and fighting in the very best company there could be. May our
gracious Lord hasten the day when we finally do join all the saints in glory,
AMEN.