WHAT CAN THIS YEAR'S WORLD CUP CELEBRATIONS SHOW US ABOUT JESUS?
One aspect of this year's World Cup I've personally enjoyed is seeing the passion, celebration, and absolute exhilaration that fans show when their team scores a goal or wins a match. There's almost no event on the planet where this level of pure emotion is experienced. Who is not moved watching USA fans celebrate our USNMT in stadiums and viewing locations around the country as they sing John Denver’s "Take Me Home, Country Roads"? Who was not inspired by Cape Verde's play as they battled defending World Cup Champion Argentina and returned home to an entire country inspired by their heroic efforts? Who was not moved by seeing an estimated 1.5 million people gather around the Ángel de la Independencia monument and along Paseo de la Reforma to celebrate following Mexico's round-of-32 win against Ecuador?
If I had to pick one word to describe what all these people are experiencing it would be TRIUMPH. When a country's soccer team wins a World Cup match the entire country identifies with that victory and triumph. They feel triumphant. A win for Les Blues (the name for the French national football team) is a triumph for France. A win for The Three Lions (the name for England's national football team) is a triumph for all of England. But here is what I see everytime I see a group of people revelling in a football triumph: The emotion of TRIUMPH is real and we serve the greatest and most TRIUMPHANT individual and team (the Church and the Kingdom of God) the world has ever seen!
What you see at soccer celebrations is a small picture of how heaven and the world celebrate the TRIUMPH of Jesus over sin, death, the grave, the devil and every enemy of your life. If we only grasped the revelation of the victory Jesus actually secured on the playing field of eternity it would absolutely change us. Do you realize the enormity of the victory Jesus secured? People celebrate a World Cup victory so passionately because the stakes are so high: deciding which country is the best football team on the planet. Jesus' playing field was for our salvation and eternal life.
1. JESUS PUBLICLY TRIUMPHED OVER EVERY OPPONENT AT THE CROSS. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us, and took it away by nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:13-15
2. JESUS IS RECOGNIZED AS THE ULTIMATE CHAMPION. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Revelation 3:21
3. ALL OF HEAVEN CELEBRATES THE TRIUMPH OF JESUS. Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Revelation 5:11-12
4. DUE TO JESUS' TRIUMPHANT VICTORY WE TOO SHARE IN THAT VICTORY. WE ARE VICTORIOUS RIGHT NOW AND PARTICIPATE IN JESUS' VICTORY PARADE. But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. II Corinthians 2:14
So, the next time you watch a World Cup soccer match or any celebration, let it remind you of the exhilarating triumph of our captain and victor Jesus. Let's consequently celebrate our King in a manner that's worthy of His triumph!
