Lest We Forget: Faith, Sacrifice, and Hope in Christ

Remembrance Sunday is an opportunity to bring comfort because some of us may have relatives who have actually suffered in the war. Uh we may have had uh come from a lineage where uh there were people who were veterans and you know the veterans that come back from war the suffering doesn't end you see right there's a lot of replaying of the scenes and the suffering and so on and it extends and it has impact even throughout the other generations. [00:24:28]

Jesus says that he will lose nothing of all the lives that the father gives to him. In fact, he will raise them up on the last day. In 1 Peter chapter 1:9, it says that the outcome of having such faith is the salvation of our souls. [00:25:01]

If we put ourselves into the hearts and the minds of the soldiers who suffered during World War I and World War II, we would understand that this is very bittersweet because on one hand you get to hear the passage and the sermon because you have been delivered from death. But on the other hand, then you feel really guilty that other people have died and you didn't die. [00:25:28]

So, on a remembrance Sunday like today, the lurggical colors are useful, right? Normally you get this purple and black thing when it is a funeral. But normally you get the white thing when we think of the resurrection and Easter. Yes. In other words, as I like to say in some of the funerals that we have conducted, there is no right way to respond. [00:27:09]

If you are come into this day grieving, it is legitimate because of your family and the experiences that you've gone through. And if you come into this day rejoicing because God has blessed our country thus far, that's also legitimate. First Peter doesn't make a difference. [00:27:32]

It tells you that there's trials and it tells you you can rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy. Okay. So what does the what do these passages say to us today? I think first of all I want to take away this theme of protection. Protection. If you forget everything that I've said just now, we as the people of God are protected for salvation. [00:27:50]

Not that bad things never happen to us. Not that we do not suffer like the rest of the world. We are protected in terms of number one, our salvation is protected because of Jesus Christ. Number two, it says in the passage in first Peter that there is an inheritance given to us imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. [00:29:05]

Regardless of whether you're looking at this from the military angle from the people who have lost their lives and the families who have suffered and those even in other countries who had their countries bombed and lost their homes and lost lots of things. Regardless of whether you're looking at it from that angle or you're looking at it from the angle of the normal Christian, the everyday Christian who just wants to go to work, pay some bills, and have a good family, right? [00:29:25]

As Christians, we have to go through difficulties, uncertainties, and trials. And you heard what I shared with the kids just now about grit. I have watched numerous documentaries that they say one of the huge problems we have with our younger generation is that we see an absence of grit. Grit happens is when you have faced difficulties in your life but you have learned to overcome. [00:30:08]

There is nothing to overcome if you have no difficulties in your life. If your life is just smooth and every day you just, you know, one day you're just sneezing, Lord, heal me. Oh, no need for a flu shot, no need for the pharmacy, right? Yeah, I just do it. Why have a family doctor, right? I just call upon the Lord and all my troubles are over, right? [00:30:48]

Let there be a joy that has nothing to do with the day went well. It's nothing to do that all the ducks were in a row. Let our joy be because we are with our savior. He has touched our lives and we are never the same again. [00:32:07]

That's the joy of the Christian. The joy of the Christian is we are with the Lord. He is with us forever. Boom. I fear no future. Right? I fear no past. I walk with my head held high. I stare at his beautiful face just like Moses. And without a veil on my face, I take the veil off that I may look at him, my blessed savior, and he may look at me. [00:32:34]

There is a part that says in the first Peter passage, even though you do not see him, you rejoice. Yeah. Right. And of course uh some for some of the Christians hearing this it would mean a lot because they actually had seen the risen Christ. They had now suffered for their faith. Some of them were very old. Some of them have lost relatives who were eyewitnesses to the resurrection. [00:33:56]

On the last day, we will see everyone we have lost before who has faith in Jesus, who walked with their eyes put on Jesus, with their heart and their faith on Jesus. We will see them again. This is our great hope. [00:34:35]

There is hope for our future. There is hope for our past because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Thanks be to God. [00:34:59]