THE END
Last Sunday of the Church Year
I Cor. 15: 20-28

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text for this mornings meditation is from Paul’s First letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 20 through 28, particularly these words:  “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.  But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.  Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.  For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”  This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends.  Today marks “the end” of another Church year.  Next Sunday will be the first Sunday in Advent and the beginning of a new church year.  If you haven’t looked at your calendar recently that means that there are only four more Sunday’s between now and Christmas.

But today is the last Sunday of the Old Church year.  And all of today’s Scripture readings talk about the last days of earth and about judgment day.

As Christians face the end of another church year, they think over the coming end of the world, the end of time and the beginning of eternity.

There are three words which might describe what our text has to say about judgment day for us.  Those three words describe the end of time as being, a GUARANTEED, VICTORIOUS, BEGINNING.

First of all the end of time is guaranteed.  Our text says, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

Jesus Christ has guaranteed that there will be a resurrection of all those who now sleep.  Jesus Christ was the first fruits.  Just as he arose from the dead so shall all men and women, of all ages, also arise — believers to life eternal, and unbelievers to eternal torment in hell.  That’s what our gospel lesson is about in the separation of sheep and goats.  On Judgment Day, for believers in Christ, eternal life in heaven begins.

But how can one man, namely Jesus Christ, promise life eternal??  How can one man do so much??  The answer to that question is quite simple and our text points out the answer very clearly, “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

This whole sinful cycle of birth, misery, pain, suffering, and eventual death came into being by one man — Adam.  This is another proof text for original sin.  All people are sinners because we are all children of one man — Adam.

One man brought sin, suffering, and death into the world, AND ANOTHER man overcame them.  And as Jesus was leaving this earth to return to his father, he told his disciples — “I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am there you may be also.”  Jesus gave the promise of eternal life to all those who were his.  He said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”

Our end is guaranteed.  The price of our guarantee was the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, and the guarantee is ours by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  He died that we might have life.  He died in order to guarantee to you and to me that our sins were forgiven and that we might live eternally in heaven.

But this death of Christ was not only a guarantee for our eternal life, it was a tremendous VICTORY.  Up to the time of Christ’s death, the devil and all his followers still had hope.  They still thought they might win the world to the evil which they had planned.  But Jesus Christ put an end to their hope of Victory for he won the ultimate victory.  It is now just a matter of time until he returns to earth for the final celebration and judgment.  Jesus’ perfect life, his innocent death, and his glorious resurrection broke the power of Satan, sin and death.  But the completion of that final victory waits till the end — waits till Christ comes and puts all thing in the proper place, and then turns all things over to God the Father.  Our text tells us that there is a proper order in which these things will happen.  Our text said:  “But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.  The last enemy to be defected in death.”

The last enemy to be defeated is death.  Jesus himself defeated death, but the final defeat awaits the resurrection of all mankind.  At that point, when all people are raised from the dead, death will cease to exist.  Because from that moment on, the power of death, which is sin, will be wiped out forever.  As Christ send the heathen to eternal punishment and as he calls his faithful home, sin and death will cease to exist.  Christ has already defeated them through his own death.  But his Victory, becomes OUR Victory at the very end.  Sin and death will cease to exist for you and for me.

The end will be victorious, because Jesus Christ has won the battle.  That is why at Easter time we sing:  “the strife is o’er the battle done; Now is the Victor’s triumph won; Now be the song of praise begun.  Alleluia!  Death’s mightiest pow’rs have done their worst, And Jesus hath his foes dispersed; Let shouts of praise and joy outburst.  Alleluia!”

Christ’s guarantied Victory over sin and death means a new beginning.  Our text sums up this thought very well, “When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.”  Those are exciting words, “God himself will be ruler over all things.  That’s the way it was before the first sin.  That is the way it was before death ever entered into the world.  God ruled over everything.  But man went his own way, and ate the fruit of the forbidden tree.  Sin Broke the rule which God had made.  And so it was that Christ had to come into the world to set things straight once again.

But that is what he did!  And on judgment day, all will be placed back in order.  The heathen, the devil and all his angels will be put into eternal confinement in Hell.  But those who have faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ will enter into eternal glory with God in heaven.  That will be a wonderful beginning.  The end will not be the end — but the beginning of life eternal in Heaven.

And so we wait!  We await the coming of our Lord that second time.  We all await his day of judgment.  For the Christian who puts his complete trust in God’s promise of life eternal through Jesus Christ, it will be a guaranteed, glorious, beginning.  The only other way to explain it would be to say, “The End??  That’s heaven!!”  To God be the glory!  Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hears and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.