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May 29, 2003
Ascension/Graduation
Philippians 3:20-21
Pastor Joel Zank

WE ARE WAITING FOR JESUS!

(Philippians 3:20-21) But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

In the name of our Risen and Ascended Lord Jesus, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

"Hurry up and wait!" That was one of my Grandma's sayings; and though she spoke with the hint of a smile on her face, she never really managed to hide her impatience all that well. You see, my grandmother didn't like to wait for things. She didn't like to wait for food to be served at the restaurant. She didn't like standing in a checkout lane; and the waiting room at the doctor's office was one of her least favorite places on earth. We'd no sooner find ourselves in anyone of these situations, and you just knew it was coming. Grandma would sigh and say, "Here we go again. Let's hurry up and wait some more."

I would guess that there have been times when we've all felt that way. We spend a good portion of our lives waiting for things. Yet in spite of the fact that we do so much waiting, it's not something that we ever get particularly good at, unless of course, we have something worth waiting for. Then we don't seem to mind quite as much.

Well, tonight the Apostle Paul shows us that we do have something, or should I say, someone worth waiting for. As Christians we are waiting for Jesus. We are waiting for him to come and claim us; and we're waiting for him to come and change us.

We are all waiting for Jesus because as we heard once again in our Scripture readings for this evening, forty days after his resurrection Jesus ascended into heaven, leaving behind a group of followers who stood gazing into the sky. Although Jesus had just left them, they couldn't wait for him to return. They missed already. But the angels of heaven assured those disciples that though they would have to wait for Jesus, their wait would be worth it: "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go..." (Acts 1:11).

Here we are, followers of Jesus, still waiting for him almost two thousand years later; which makes the angels words even more important for us. The wait has been long but well worth it. Jesus is coming back. So how should we wait for him? Paul has our answer. He says, "we eagerly await..." our Savior.

Is Paul describing you? Are you eagerly waiting for Jesus? I have to tell you that I'm not always waiting for him. I should be, but there are times when I get distracted. Maybe that happens to you. It happened to the Christians living in the Roman City of Philippi. They are the people to whom the Apostle Paul first wrote the words of our text.

It seems that many of them were distracted and misled by a false teaching that had made its way through their church. Someone had told them that in order to be at peace with Jesus, they had to live perfect lives. If they didn't get rid of all their sin, Jesus would return as an angry judge to punish them. Can you imagine how frightened they must have been?

Maybe you can. Maybe there is some sin in your life that you've tried to get rid of. Maybe you're a person who is easily angered; or you have a foul mouth; or you let your head be filled with x-rated thoughts. You're trying to get rid of these sins, but you keep doing them day after day. How discouraging. It's more than discouraging. Because of our sin, we may actually be frightened by the thought that Jesus will soon return. Rather than being eager to see him, we're afraid that he will come back, find us in our sin and punish us. That's not a very nice way to live, is it?

But fear isn't our only problem. There are definitely other temptations that can rob us of our eagerness to see Jesus. While some of the Philippians were afraid to see him, others were having such a good time here on earth that they didn't want to see Jesus. They didn't want him to come back and spoil their fun.

We're no different. Maybe life is going very well for us at the moment. We're making good money and we like what it can buy us. We're getting good grades and the our future here looks bright. We're young, we're strong, we're energetic and we're looking forward to all this world has to offer us. Now don't misunderstand what I'm saying. Youth and energy, money and success are all blessings from God. These are not bad things in and of themselves. They only become bad for us when we grow so fond of them that we don't want to let them go. Then they become dangerous to our soul and our eternal future.

For you see, no matter how young or old we happen to be, it is true of each and every one of us that we are only visiting earth. We're all just passing through this world. No one stays here forever-no one. Sin ruined any chance of that. God had intended this world to be a paradise for us. But our sin destroyed paradise and turned this world into nothing but a pit stop along the road to hell. Because of our sin, we were all born on earth to die and so become citizens of hell forever.

But Jesus was born on earth to change all that. Like us, he came here as one who was only passing through. He didn't live here for very long, but what he did while he was here and the way he did it has changed everything for you and me forever. Jesus saw what a mess we sinners make of life, so he came here to live life in our place. Unlike us, he kept his mind and his mouth pure all the times. He lived a whole life of perfect love always, obeying every one of God's commandments. And here's the best part of all that-he says it all counts as ours-all the holiness, all the perfection. As far as God is concerned, the life Jesus lived is our life, yours and mine. And as far as God is concerned, when Jesus went to the cross, when he suffered those horrible hours of hell on that dark Friday afternoon, that all counts as ours too. Because Jesus took our place on Calvary, because he died and rose, as far as God is concerned, we've all been to hell and back again. We're no longer citizens of Satan's state. We and all who believe in Jesus as Savior have a new country, a new home. Thanks to Jesus, St. Paul can say, "Our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20).

Earth is still just a pit stop, but now, through faith in Jesus, we have a new destination. We're headed home to heaven. We're waiting for Jesus, not in fear or dread, but in eager anticipation. There's nothing to fear. We have all the perfection we need to get into heaven. It's ours as a gift from the Savior. There's no punishment awaiting us. Jesus took it all for us. And please know this: when he comes again, his return won't be spoiling anything. No matter how much we enjoy life here on earth, the life that Jesus has planned for us will be better than anything we can imagine. That's what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." We're waiting for Jesus to come and claim us as the people he bought back from sin.

Graduates, your class verse says it so well: "If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord" (Romans 14:8). You've learned so many important things at Mount Olive Lutheran School. But the fact that you chose such a verse tells me you've learned the most important thing of all: You've learned you're only passing through, not just this school, but through all of life here on earth. Hold on to that truth and remember that we Christians don't live for money, or success or power. We don't live for ourselves, "but for him who died for us and was raised again" (2 Corinthians 5:15). We live all our lives waiting for Jesus to come and claim us as the citizens of heaven our real and lasting home.

But, of course, if heaven is forever, and it is, then we're also waiting for Jesus to come and change us so that we can be just eternal as the place in which we will live. Right now we have lowly bodies that suffer from weakness, the weakness produced by sin. This past school year has reminded us of this. Hardly a day went by when someone wasn't ill with one sickness or another. We suffered from colds and the flu; we broke arms and legs. Our lives were touched by sickness, surgeries and even death. All of these things are a powerful reminder that our lives are not yet as our God intends them to be. That's why Paul says, "...we eagerly await a Savior from [heaven], the Lord Jesus Christ,21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." (Philippians 3:20-21).

In his great power as God, Jesus took on our enemies, Satan, sin and death and conquered them all. His resurrection proves it. Jesus walked away from his battles as the only winner, leaving his enemies lying in the dust. But notice that Jesus didn't make this world his home. After rising from the dead, he stayed here only long enough to share the good news of his victory with his disciples. He then ascended into heaven promising that he would protect us by his mighty power until he returned to take us to be with him. That's what Jesus is doing this evening, ruling our world, keeping us safe, blessing the spread of his gospel and through it the growth of his kingdom.

Very soon the Savior's plans for our world will be complete. He will return and do one more thing as our Savior. Thanks to him and his forgiveness, we already live free from sin's guilt and punishment. But very soon when the trumpets of heaven sound, Jesus will also free us from the pain and sadness that sin still manages to cause us. We'll know when this happens. There will be no way we can miss it because suddenly, in the blink of an eye, all of our loved ones who have died believing in Jesus will be standing by our side. Jesus will raise them from the dead. And in that same moment he will change us too. In his great power he will make our bodies like his own glorious body - completely free from sin and weakness. Never again will we need glasses or surgery. Never again will we be sick or grow old. Never again will we visit a funeral home or a cemetery. A wonderful, happy life awaits us all in heaven-a life that will never end. So let's be about our business here in this world. Let's do the things that Jesus has given us to do here. Let's share the good news of his gospel with friends and strangers. Let's graduate and move on. Let's enjoy summer vacations and each other's company. But most of all, let's hurry up and wait for Jesus to come and claim us and to come and change us. Amen.