“Alas! That the farthest end of our thoughts should be the thought of our ends.”
Thomas Adams
One of the main points of last Sunday’s sermon (March 3, 2024) was that Jesus possesses an all-encompassing authority to execute judgment. It is an authority that has been given to him by his Father. The vision of Daniel gloriously captures the extent and duration of Jesus’ authority:
“I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
14And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)
Regarding extent, it involves “all peoples.” Regarding duration, it “shall not be destroyed.” Praise the Lord for the all-encompassing scope of his authority which persists through all time. As the Son of Man, Jesus understood that this authority was his. He both defends who he is and invites his hearers to trust in him with these words:
24Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. (John 5:24-27)
Sometimes, we forget that the gospel call to eternal life is not about us having a fulfilled life and storybook life, but it is foregrounded against and includes deliverance from the coming judgment. The apostle Paul writes, “on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 2:16) Paul’s proclamation of the gospel includes as a key element that day when God would judge the hearts of men. Again, in Acts 17, he declares that the resurrection, which secures our salvation, also is crucial to giving us assurance that Jesus is the one by whom God will judge the world, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)
Are you trusting Christ today? Is your confidence in deliverance from coming judgment rooted in Christ’s victory over sin and death? If you are wavering, I close with Christ’s promise, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24) Have a blessed week and we will see many of you on Sunday.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Dale
