All glory be to Jesus Christ who is the First and the Last; the Living One; he once was dead, but now he is alive for ever and ever! And he reigns at the right hand of his heavenly Father. Amen. (Revelation 1:17-18)

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Dear Witnesses of Victory,

Several hundred years before the birth of Jesus, a crucial battle occurred between the Greeks and the Persians upon the plains of Marathon. The battle raged for days and was a fight to the finish. The Greek army was a tremendous underdog in this battle – out-manned and out-armed by the might Persian army. Defeat seemed inevitable. Yet even though they were out-manned and out-armed the Greek army could not be out-smarted. Against what seemed to be impossible odds the Greek army managed a tremendous tactical victory. But there was a problem. The Greek Senate, which was many miles away in Athens, assumed that their under-manned and out-armed army would lose this battle and they would soon vote on and most certainly approve a treaty of surrender to the Persians. Knowing this, in desperation, the Greek army immediately sent a runner still in full battle gear back to Athens to tell the news of their victory. By the time the young solider had run to Athens from the plains of Marathon he had run almost 27 miles – hence the distance we today run in a marathon. (So if you really want to run a marathon you must first put on about 60 pounds of armor!) It is said that when the young solider arrived in Athens he was so exhausted that he literally ran himself to death. (Which is probably why we don’t run our marathons in full battle gear anymore.) In his exhaustion he was able to utter only one word to the Athenian Senate before he died: "VICTORY!"

Like that young solider we are witnesses of victory. At times it might seem that Christians are up against impossible odds. It might seem that the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh hold the upper hand. It might seem that we should simply surrender to Satan. But you know that things are not as they seem. You know that Jesus has won the victory!

Today we come to church just a little more than 40 days past Easter and sound of the Easter Hallelujah chorus is still resonating in our ears. Today is the last day the Easter Paschal candle is lit (except for baptisms and funerals). We have been to the empty tomb. We have heard the glad news of the resurrection, "Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!" We have seen the victory! And now it is time for the church to send a message back to the world. That message is a single word: VICTORY! Today I encourage you to witness about this victory. First, we are called to proclaim victory by Jesus. We are also gifted to proclaim victory by the Holy Spirit.

In Acts chapter 1, Jesus is speaking to men who sat at his feet, who had witnessed his suffering and death, who had put their fingers into his nail marks, and who walked and talked and ate with the Risen Lord. Now Jesus was sending them out into the world as his proclaimers of victory. They had seen first-hand the battle between Jesus and Satan and how, against seemingly impossible odds, Jesus defeated Satan when he rose from the dead. Jesus was sending them out to tell people that they don’t need to surrender to sin and Satan because Jesus has won; he has gained the victory.

Jesus ascended into heaven before his disciples’ eyes. What does Jesus’ ascension mean to us? Jesus ascension means that his work of salvation has been completed! The battle is over – the victory is won! Jesus has been born a man and lived a perfect life in our place – (Crown him the virgin’s Son!) Jesus has willingly suffered and died for our sins upon the cross – (Crown him the Lord of love!) Jesus has risen and proclaimed victory over sin, death, and Satan. (Crown him the Lord of Life!) Jesus has ascended to rule his newly won kingdom on earth from his eternal kingdom of heaven. (Crown him the Lord of heaven!) Jesus is the great King over heaven and earth. And as King he moves us into action.

What action does Jesus want us to be doing? As Christians we believe that we have been saved through the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if God has saved us, why haven’t we joined Jesus in heaven yet? Why are we still here? Because God isn’t finished with us yet. We are here for a purpose. And that purpose is to witness about Jesus – so that others might be saved. Right before Jesus ascended into heaven he said to his disciples and all believers, "repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached to all nations, you are witnesses of these things". Our work is to proclaim Christ’s salvation to the world.

It has been said that WELS Christians are the best fed and the least exercised Christians on earth. What does that mean? I firmly believe that nowhere else – in no other religious body or denomination – is the pure message of Scripture, the law and the gospel, proclaimed better than it is in the Wisconsin Synod (and in those synods that are in fellowship with us). People are hearing the message of justification from our pulpits. People are hearing that God has declared humanity innocent in his holy courtroom. People are hearing what Jesus had done for us. We have been declared innocent because Jesus lived for us, suffered for us, died for us, rose again for us, and has won eternal life for us. You are "well fed" when it comes to the message of Scripture. But this morning I would ask, "Are you also "well exercised"? Are you hearing and practicing the message of sanctification? That means living your life for God. Are you doing what God expects you to do for him while on earth? Are you living as a child of God? Are you putting your faith into action? When we hear what God has done for us it should move us to action in our lives!

You are "Witnesses of Victory". Being a Christian automatically makes you a witness, a herald, one who has been commanded to run ahead and proclaim that their victorious king is coming. Every Christian is included in Christ’s command to preach and teach the gospel to all the world – every Christian not just pastors, not just missionaries, not just teachers, not just those with "theological training" – every Christian is a witness.

You don’t need a pulpit, a gown or a written sermon to tell people about Jesus. All you need to tell people is what you already know about Jesus – he has healed you from sin, he has saved you from hell, he has rescued you from Satan, he is your Friend, your Comforter, your Savior, and your King. That’s it. Just tell them.

During the 17^th century a gentleman told the French statesman Talleyrand about his attempts to start a new religion. However despite all of his efforts, his promotion of his new religion made no headway – no one seemed to believe in him or follow his new teachings. Talleyrand replied that it was indeed difficult to found a new religion, so difficult that he hardly knew what to advise. "Still," he said – after a moment’s reflection, "there is one plan you might try. I should recommend you to be crucified, die, and to rise again on the third day… that should get people’s attention."

And so it has. Just before Jesus ascended into heaven he spoke these words to the apostles. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." A huge task certainly lay before the disciples. They were given the task of spreading a "new religion" (Christianity) into all the world. How were eleven men supposed to take the message of Christ crucified and risen into the entire world? Jesus tells them how, "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you." Jesus was of course referring to Pentecost when the power of the Holy Spirit gifted the apostles with the ability to speak the gospel in other languages. It was an important and necessary gift for the apostles to have in order to spread the gospel message of Christ’s victory into all the world.

So the same is true for us. The Holy Spirit has given to you all the gifts necessary for you to spread the message of Christ’s victory into all the world. As 21^st century disciples we may not have the responsibility of "starting a new religion" like the apostles did, but make no mistake about it – the task that lies before us is huge and getting bigger everyday.

Christianity is not a spectator sport. God himself has placed you "in the game." God has called you to faith and you still remain on the earth for a reason – to be his witnesses. You are to tell someone else about your Savior. The need to do so is always present! You can invite someone to Vacation Bible School or our Family Fun Fest. That is why we put so much time and effort into those programs. Abbey told me the other day that it just bugs her that our neighbors don’t go to church. On her own, she is on a personal campaign to get them into church through constant invitations. If a nine-year-old can do it, so can you. Invite to WLS or to the church or just to sit down and talk with you about your faith.

The population of the world is continually growing. Each day there are more people who need to hear about the Savior than the day before. Yet at the same time each day people are dying without hearing about the Savior and are going to hell.

Maybe we need to do what the pastor at a mission church once did. He put the words "83 a minute" over a clock. Until finally the members asked him, "Will you kindly take that down? It haunts us." They knew that it meant that on average 83 people per minute die. Most go to eternal darkness never hearing about Jesus Christ as their Savior.

But God has given you the gifts to do something to change all this. Each one of you, from the youngest to the oldest, has been given the gifts to witness and proclaim Christ’s victory to others. You have been given the power to rescue other from a hellish eternity – all through the power of Christ’s victory!

Dan is a pastor’s son, pastor’s brother, and pastor’s brother-in-law who taught Sunday School, sang beautiful solos and led music in his church for many years. But he lost his joy after a difficult divorce. After several years away from the walk with the Lord, he met and later married Laurie. Laurie was raised in a fully dysfunctional family, and was twice divorced.

Dan and Laurie, a non-believer, attended church when visiting family members. While not openly against Christianity, she had no desire to pursue the relationship with God that other members of the family cherished. When Dan’s job transferred him to a new community, the pastor of a church in this community soon made a visit in Dan and Laurie’s new home. His witnessing added a dimension that others had failed to express the joy of salvation.

Dan’s family members were well intentioned, but all they talked about was his sinfulness. No one talked about the joy of salvation. Within a few months, a transformation began in Laurie and Dan’s lives. The Holy Spirit began working faith in Laurie and Dan became rededicated to the Lord.

The change in Dan and Laurie’s personal lives was immediate. Laurie redecorated the house with religious pictures and framed verses. Their two children joined them in Sunday School, worship and becoming fully involved in the Christian life. She took a part-time job in the Christian School, became a helper in Vacation Bible School, and then Sunday School. Dan returned with a new fervor in music leadership and performances. Christian music floods the house and the cars when they travel. The joy of salvation was renewed in Dan’s life and added to Laurie’s.

Laurie’s question for the family was simple to ask, but difficult to answer. "Why didn’t someone tell me about the joy of knowing Jesus sooner?"

We have a message of victory to share with our world. As Paul says, "Put on the full armor of faith… and run the race." From twelve apostles to millions of believers, Christianity has grown, and why? Just what Talleyrand said, "because it’s founder was crucified, died, and then rose again." No one else can say that. Proclaim his Victory. Jesus has called you and gifted you to do it. Now go out there and do it! Amen.

To God be the glory. Amen.