The Good Guys and Gals

Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). Amen.

Last week, Conner Smith took his son, Charlie, to a new candy store in Riverside, California. They found the store was closed but had been left unlocked. Uptown Candy Shop had only been open for about a week. Since the store is in a shopping mall in the greater LA area, there was a real risk of it being looted.

So, Conner and his son stood guard in front of the unlocked door. They found the phone number for the security company at the mall. Then they waited in front of the candy shop until a guard arrived to lock up. The grateful candy shop owner shared the security footage of the dad using this situation as a teaching moment for his young son. The video went viral. The store owner told CBS LA, "We wanted to properly thank them, so we posted it on TikTok to get the word out there. We figured TikTok finds the bad guys really fast, so let's see how long it takes them to find the good guy."

The author of the letter to the Hebrews is giving encouragement to Christians who are being persecuted. He lists great heroes of faith. He finds the good guys. He's using this as a teachable moment. "And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets,who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again" (Hebrews 11:32-34).

Gideon defeated the mighty Midianites, even though his army was outnumbered 135,000 to 300. Deborah and Barak defeated the army of Sisera because God sent a flood that wiped out the enemy army. Samson killed 1,000 Philistines using the jawbone of a donkey. Jephthah slaughtered the Ammonite army. David slayed the mighty giant Goliath with a sling and a stone. Samuel was a prophet and a judge. Daniel survived the lions' den. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego survived the fiery furnace. The widow of Zarephath and the woman of Shunem both received their sons back from the dead.

These are known and named good guys and gals. But the author goes on to list unnamed, but still remembered, good guys and gals. "Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword – they went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated" (Hebrews 11:35-37).

The Devil hates these good guys and gals! That's why he sends his bad guys to hunt, hurt, harass, and commit homicide on God's good guys and gals. The ways of the Devil are always violent and destructive. While John the Baptist was in prison, the people were asking Jesus about John. Jesus responded, "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matthew 11:12). Early Christians suffered violence for being citizens of the kingdom of heaven. Throughout the history of the Christian Church, Christians have been held captive as prisoners, had bounties on their heads, been bludgeoned, beheaded, burned at the stake, fed to the lions, crucified, and any of numerous creatively macabre ways to be killed. In every age, the kingdom of heaven is threatened by the allies of hell. We should expect nothing else.

The ways of the Devil remain violent and destructive. The Christian Church, with her proclamation of a crucified Christ, continues to appear weak and wimpy in comparison. We are living in the Church Militant – the Church at war.

Christ and his apostles tell us to expect this violence against us. The bad guys will always be coming after Christ's good guys and gals. Jesus promised, "Then they will hand you over to be persecuted, and they will put you to death. You will be hated by all nations because of my name" (Matthew 24:9). St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Christians to let them know that Timothy was sent to them to prepare them for suffering, "We sent him to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one will be shaken by these trials, for you know well that we are destined for this. In fact, even when we were with you, we told you ahead of time that we were going to suffer" (1 Thessalonians 3:2-4). St. Paul told the Philippians that by God's grace they were given both the gift of faith in Christ and also the gift of suffering in Christ's name: "For it has been graciously granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him" (Philippians 1:29).

This violence against Christians and the Christian Church will continue to come. Satan is described in Scripture as a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. That's an apt description provided by the Holy Spirit's inspiration. Lions will come in force. They may also come one at a time. They feint and fake and then attack from a different direction. Lions will pick off the weak, the young, the elderly. Then they'll come for the strong and healthy.

What do you see Satan doing? He's coming after our children through media, music, public schools, inattentive parents, and more. He's coming after our elderly through disinformation and misinformation. His attacks are sometimes sneaky and sometimes bold. He really only has two temptations. They are the same ones he first used as the serpent in the Garden of Eden. He'll ask, "Did God really say?" And, "Does God really love you?" They're simple, strategic, and effective. Once Satan picks off the weak, young, and elderly, he turns his attention to the older, wiser, and stronger.

The baptized saints of God are not being sent into a fairy tale world where everything is rainbows and unicorns. The bad guys are always attacking God's good guys and gals. That's the way it's always been. That's the way it will always be. But the violence will not prevail. The Devil and his demonic horde have already gone down in defeat. But like a lion caught in a trap, the roaring lion of the Devil is unwilling to surrender. He continues to thrash, claw, and maul. Satan and his allies will do whatever they can as they "wage war against the saints to overcome them" (Revelation 13:7).

In the face of threats of violence, we proclaim the eternal gospel to every nation, tribe, language, and people (Revelation 14:6). We stand upon the solid rock of Jesus Christ. We will not simply endure; we will prevail against the forces of Satan. In the end, the good guys and good gals always win! That's the singular point of the whole book of Revelation.

God's baptized saints are equipped as soldiers of the cross. Whether you were in the 1st century hearing the letter to the Hebrews for the first time or you're here in the 21st century hearing this letter to the Hebrews another time, do not fear anything you suffer. You have received and believed Christ's promise that when you are faithful unto death, he will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10).

Fellow soldiers of the cross, we are in a war! That's what it means to be in the Church Militant. But the way for us to win the war for our children's souls and the hearts of people is by using the same weapons we've always been given – God's Word and Sacraments. These weapons seem like weakness in the face of the enemies' onslaught. Yet the Lord promises, "He is the one who gives strength to the weak, and he increases the strength of those who lack power" (Isaiah 40:29). We join with St. Paul as we rejoice in our weaknesses so that we can rely on the strengths of our Almighty God: "I will be glad to boast all the more in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may shelter me. That is why I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For whenever I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

We listen to God's Word so that we can then share that Word with those who have closed their ears and hearts to the Lord. We are called to share God's truths with those who have been trapped by the Devil's lies. We fight against the bad guys so by God's will and through his Word, the Holy Spirit might win the bad guys over to his side! He can turn the bad guys into the good guys – just like he once did with us! We remember that we have been made heirs of heaven through our Baptism so we can invite those claimed by the Devil to be baptized and dispossessed of the Devil. We rejoice in the forgiveness of our sins so we can encourage others to find acceptance in Christ instead of searching for acceptance in the world. We celebrate our unity when we commune together at the Lord's Table as we invite others to set aside their petty differences about skin color, political party affiliation, or anything else the Devil uses to divide us into little tribes. With these humble means of Word and Sacrament, we are advancing forcefully into the Devil's domain.

Take the time right now to bow your head to confess your fear of fighting the Devil and his band of bad guys.

Silent confession.

Fellow saints, Jesus Christ has paid for your fear. He gives you forgiveness that he boldly won for you on the cross and out of the grave. He calls you to trust his promise that violence will come upon us as his Christian soldiers. His promise doesn't end there. He also promises to rescue you from this current violence, just like he rescued his chosen people out of Egypt. He will deliver you from spiritual oppression and destruction. He will enable the citizens of his kingdom to conquer all things, and – yes – to endure all things for the sake of his name. The ultimate promise is that he will one day transfer your membership from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant in heaven.

The Uptown Candy Store invited Conner and his family to their chocolate factory for a tour and sweet treats. Many on social media said the family deserved the Golden Ticket. It's great when the good guys get recognition.

The author of Hebrews gives the saints in his list recognition by saying that the world was not worthy of such good guys and gals. "The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect" (Hebrews 11:38-40). The world thinks that people who are suffering and sacrificing like this are unworthy of honor. Yet, God thinks the world is not worthy of having these men and women of faith living among them.

As you undergo persecution for your faith from the bad guys, take comfort in this great verse. You are judged by God's divine standards, not the world's flawed standards. The world's rejection of you reflects its own fallen nature. It does not reflect your inferiority. The world is not equipped to value saints of profound faith. So, the way it handles you is with mockery and derision. Your worth is not measured by worldly success like power or popularity. Your worth is in the way God's Son came, bled, died, and rose for you. Your worth is in your faithfulness and obedience to God's calling, even in the face of suffering.

Why doesn't God prevent all persecution? He is planning something better. Together with us, those persecuted saints will be made perfect in heaven. That's way better than a Golden Ticket! Together, we have been made God's glorious saints. Those who have died already shine in that glory of God. We who remain on the earth struggle. But when you struggle, remember the glory God has in store for you one day!

Through God's Word, through the washing waters of Baptism, and through his holy Supper, you are made one of God's saints. You are among the list of unnamed heroes of faith. By God's grace, you are one of the good guys and gals. Amen.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). Amen.