DANIEL 12:1-3
YOU WILL SHINE IN GLORY.
In the name + of Jesus.
Blessed are the saints of God; they are
bought with Christ’s own blood.
They are ransomed from the grave;
life eternal they shall have.With them numbered may we be here and in eternity. (CW 394:1)
Dear Christians, as you sang that opening
hymn, you may have prayed that you would one day be among the saints of
God. But I hope you realize this: You
already are saints of God. You have been bought with the blood of Jesus
Christ. You have been ransomed from the
grave. Though you will go to your grave
one day, you will not remain. The grave
does not own you; Jesus does.
Remember? “Bought with Christ’s own blood.”
That is what ransoms you. Life
eternal you shall have. In fact, life
eternal you already have. You do not yet
have heaven. That will come. But you have life in Christ already, and that
never ends. You are numbered with the
saints of God here, and God will sustain you through his word and sacraments so
that you will be numbered among the saints in the Church Triumphant forever.
But if you have a hard time considering
yourself among the blessed saints of God, it is probably because you do not
look like a saint. You don’t act like a
saint. And the adjective triumphant is
not one that you would use to describe your life. An honest assessment of yourself and your
life proves that you are a sinful being living in a sinful world. You face the same vexing and seductive
temptations day after day. They are
seductive because you would like to give in to them. They are vexing because you do. You sin against your God, your spouse, your
children, your co-workers, and so forth.
This is not saintly, but wicked.
You also do not appear to be especially
triumphant. You have to deal with a body
that is failing—one organ, one nerve, or one sense at a time. You have family or friends whom you see
suffer and struggle, and it grieves you.
You face hardships from people who deceive you and lie about you. You hurt from the cruel words of loved ones
or the heartless actions of strangers.
You seem to barely be getting by, and there are days you would like to
just quit – quit your job, quit your friends, quit your responsibilities, and
maybe even on really bad days quit your life.
And you wonder, “This is what it is like to be a child of God?!”
In this world you will have trouble, but
all this is not of trouble Daniel foretold.
Daniel warned that a time of persecution is coming upon the Church. Satan will be unleashed and launch a
last-ditch assault, and he will try to eradicate the Church from the earth when
the end of the world is imminent. I
can’t tell you when it will be, and I can’t tell you how bad it might get. I can only tell you that Daniel describes it
as “a time of
trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time.”
(Daniel 12:1) You will feel even less like the saints of
God when that hardship comes. The Lord
loves his Church, and yet he will let her endure intense pain, loss, and
suffering. If you wonder where the glory
is now, you may be tempted to renounce the faith altogether when persecution
comes with great fury. Beware. Keep
watch. You are still the saints of
God. You are still blessed. And your hope remains the same: Jesus Christ.
The Lord foretold through the prophet
Daniel: “At
that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found
written in the book. And many
of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting
life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who
are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn
many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” (Daniel 12:1-3)
Brothers and sisters, you will shine in
glory. But your glory is not now. It will be for you like it was for Jesus. In this world, you will live in humility and weakness
and suffering. The glory comes after the
resurrection. Then, you will shine in
glory.
It is not until the resurrection that you
will finally appear to be exactly what God says you are. The judgment will come. The dead will be raised. And the Lord will show before the entire
population of the world’s history who are blessed and who are cursed. Those who are blessed will shine in glory and
be taken to the bliss of heaven. Those
who are evil will delivered over to everlasting shame and damnation. There will be no mistaking who is who. And the hymn we sang today will ring
especially true on that day: “Blessed are the saints of God.” You are the saints of God. At the resurrection, you will not know it by
faith, but by sight. You will shine in
glory.
But it is important to understand why you
have such confidence. It is through
Jesus Christ who had come once to ransom you.
Jesus Christ became flesh to redeem you from sin, death, and Satan. He suffered all of the hatred and pain and rejection
at the hands of sinful men. He died in
shame and contempt under the curse of the heavenly Father. He died for sinners to redeem you from all of
your shame, your guilt, and your regrets.
He paid the price so that sin cannot condemn you. Satan cannot accuse you. The grave does not own you. Jesus’ resurrection from the grave is the
proof of his judgment upon you. He who
is flesh and blood conquered death for you.
He assures you that you, who are flesh and blood, will rise from the
grave, too. He lives and reigns to
verify your forgiveness, to deliver you from evil, and to bring you to heaven.
Jesus has called you out of a world that
is dying and cursed because it is infested with evil. He has cleansed you through your baptism so
that you are purified from evil. And if
you are pure, then there is no more curse upon you. Jesus has saved you through your
baptism. This is how he has made you
saints of God. Jesus sustains you
through his absolution. This is how he
assures you that you are still saints of God.
Jesus strengthens you through his supper. This is where he feeds you and strengthens
you as saints of God. This is where you
get to join in with the saints in heaven for the feast of victory. Though the glory is hidden, it is here. Though you may not seem triumphant, the
victory is yours. Here, the Lord
dispenses his forgiveness. Here, the
Lord pours out his mercy. Here, the Lord
makes you partakers of eternal life.
Jesus has called you out of shame and
contempt and sin and death. Jesus gives
you peace and blessing and life. Keep
yourselves free from the evil that is so prevalent and celebrated in this
world. Do not go back to deeds that lead
to death. Repent of your sins and flee
to Jesus. In Jesus, you will always find
forgiveness, a life of comfort and hope, and eternal salvation. In Jesus, you have deliverance from the
devil’s taunting and death’s threats. In
Jesus, all shame is covered and all glory awaits.
You will shine in glory with angels and
archangels and all the company of heaven.
You’ve been forever redeemed from
the curse. You are forever blessed among
the saints of God. For now, the glory is
hidden, but you will shine in glory. You have been made wise for salvation, knowing that your
judgment and your eternity rest in the hands of Jesus Christ. You have been made wise to know that Jesus
dispenses his mercy and salvation through his Church which preaches his word,
proclaims his absolution, and administers his sacraments. You have been made wise to know that the
wedding feast of the Lamb is here, that the saints of God gather around the
feast, and that what has begun here will continue through all eternity. And you know that those who are wise shall shine like the
brightness of the sky above. (Daniel 12:3)
You will shine in glory, for you are the
saints of God. You have been bought with
Christ’s own blood. You have been
ransomed from the grave. Life eternal
you shall have. You are numbered with
God’s saints here and, by God’s gracious care, in eternity.
In
the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
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