A devotional thought presented originally to Swift Current Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Thursday 19 March 2015. Also presented to the Alberni Valley Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Saturday 09 February 2019.
Read
Romans 13:11-14
The
year we moved to Saskatchewan the Riders won the Grey Cup. In the final seconds
of the game you could see the excitement on the players’ faces. They knew the
game had been won but it wasn’t over yet. Time still needed to run down. They
wanted to celebrate: the game was won but it wasn’t over.
Similarly
Romans 13:11-12, “And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has
come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now
than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost
here....”
Paul
speaks about our salvation that is near. Elsewhere Paul speaks about the ‘day
of salvation’ that has already arrived. How can our salvation be both now and
still to come? How can it be both near and here already? This is important: our
Salvation was achieved when Jesus died and won the victory through rising from
the dead (cf. 2 Cor 6:2, 1 Cor 15:2, Eph 2:8,1 Pt 1). Christ won the victory
then but the final reward of Salvation is yet to come. The game is won but the
final whistle has not been blown and the Great Cup is still to be presented.
Like
our Roughriders game: when the QB went down on one knee to run out the clock
there was no way they could be defeated. The fans were already victors with the
team. When Christ died and rose from the grave, it was like Jesus ran for the
touchdown that put the game out of reach. There is no way now that sin and
death can ever come back and win the game but the final whistle hasn’t blown.
This
is what Paul is speaking about: Salvation as if it were that final whistle. The
Riders had won the game with 20 seconds left but they did not get to hold the
Cup until the whistle blew. Jesus won the victory between the cross and the
empty tomb but the final whistle hasn’t blown.
The
game has been won, the foe has been defeated; therefore for us to be engaged in
serving ourselves instead of serving God now would be like if in the last
seconds of play one of the Roughriders switched jerseys to join the other team;
why when the victory is already won would anyone forfeit their prize before it
is awarded? Why would we want to reject our salvation now that it is won?
Today
Sin is defeated. Death is dead and the darkness is fading so let us go and sin
no more so that we may hoist that Great Cup with Jesus Christ who has already
won us the victory.
Questions
for today: As Christ has already won the victory are we playing for his team?
If not, how can we be clothed today in his jersey of eternal salvation?
[1] Based on the sermon by Captain Michael Ramsay Victory: The Final
Whistle (Romans 13:11-14)! Presented to Swift Current Salvation Army, 16
August. 2019 and Nipawin and Tisdale 02 December 2007. On-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2007/12/victory-final-whistle-romans-1311-14.html
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