We Win!!

It had been a long flight and the crew was tired. This was even made more

apparent by the rough landing. This particular airline had a policy that the pilot must

stand by the door as the people exited to thank them for flying with the airline. The pilot

was dreading this because of the landing but he stood faithfully by. Surprisingly enough

the people filed off and noone said a word. Then came the last passenger, an elderly lady

walking with a cane. As she got up to the captain she said, “Can I ask a question?”

“Sure” answered the captain. “Did we land or were we shot down?”

To those disciples and the others close to Jesus, Friday and Saturday must have

felt like that. All that promise, all that hope. Suddenly dashed and gone. Suddenly they

are fearing for their own lives. What will they do next. Then to awake on that Sunday

morning. Imagine yourself in that scene. Someone you love has died. You have

attended their funeral. Now a day or two later you go back out to visit their grave and the

body is no longer there. Like Mary you would be incensed. Havent’ they done enough to

him? Why must they further taunt us by stealing his body? And then when you were

about as low as you could get, you turn around and there he is, standing very much alive

right before your eyes. Once you woke back up you would be so excited. Forget about

all the questions. Forget about the doubts. Here he is, in the flesh. He IS alive. And

guess what? Those pharisees who thought they had won the victory will be laughing out

the other side of their faces now. They haven’t won a thing. In fact as you look up at the

score board you see it, Christian’s 1, death 0 and the that is the final score. Folks, WE

WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let the fireworks show begin. Let the sirens scream. Let the

celebrations start. Break out the cold drinks. Cover everything up with plastic and forget

about your hair becasue its going to get messed up for sure - Steve, here’s my best Harry

Cary impersonation - CHRIST WINS, CHRIST WINS, CHRIST WINS, and becasue

Christ wins, we win.

Now like any good network covering a sporting event, I want to give you a

detailed account about just how exciting this win is and how it affects each and every

christian follower of the Lord. So listen for the next few moments won’t you to this

amazing story. A story that tells how a Savior overcame what were thought to be

insurrmountable odds to win and everlasting victory. As you listen you will discover how

this victory is not just his alone, but how you share in it as well. So let’s begin.

It was May Day, 1990. The place, Moscow’s Red Square. "Is it straight, Father?"

one Orthodox priest asked another, shifting the heavy, eight-foot crucifix on his shoulder.

"Yes," said the other. "It is straight." Together the two priests, along with a group of

parishioners holding ropes that steadied the beams of the huge cross, walked the parade

route. Before them was passed the official might of the Union of Soviet Socialist

Republics: The usual May Day procession of tanks, missiles, troops, and salutes to the

Communist party elite. Behind the tanks surged a giant crowd of protesters, shouting up

at Mikhail Gorbachev. "Bread!...Freedom!...Truth!"

As the throng passed directly in front of the Soviet leader standing in his place of honor,

the priests hoisted their heavy burden toward the sky. The cross emerged from the crowd.

As it did, the figure of Jesus Christ obscured the giant poster faces of Karl Marx,

Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin that provided the backdrop for Gorbachev’s

reviewing stand. "Mikhail Sergeyevich!" one of the priests shouted, his deep voice

cleaving the clamor of the protesters and piercing straight toward the angry Soviet leader.

"Mikhail Sergeyevich! Christ is risen!"

First of all Christ won the victory over powers and authorities. Isn’t that exactly

what brother Steve read there in Col.? Now there is a very interesting picture that Paul is

painting for us here in this verse and it has to do with the idea of a public spectacle. Have

you ever been a public specticle? In our home church at Clinton we had a sound system

like they do here next doors where chimes played over a loudspeaker from the church

steeple. Now at special times, such as Revivals, they could flip a switch and the

microphones inside the church would be channeled out over those speakers so the whole

community could hear. They would switch those on so people could hear the piano

playing the opening songs during those special services. Well one Saturday my dad got a