Jesus’ Voice Gives Life

Well, it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted here. I guess things just get busy when you’re a pastor, husband, and father of four! Anyway, I thought I’d slowly but surely get my past few weeks of sermons posted. This one goes back to November 8th, on a Sunday reserved for talking about Judgment Day. It’s certainly a hot topic today, and I hope this sermon can provide some clarity from God’s Word.

Sermon preached on 11/8/09 at Our Savior. Sermon text John 5:19-30

Jesus' Voice Gives Life

There comes a time when you just have to face the music. You probably know what I'm talking about. Maybe you've done something wrong and the time has come to tell what you've done. Maybe you've got some bad news that you need to finally tell someone, and you're just not looking forward to it. Maybe there's a phone call you've been dreading to make, because you're just not sure what the reaction on the other end is going to be. In all of these instances, you can't just avoid the problem forever. Eventually you'll have to face the music and get it over with.

Judgment Day, the day this world finally ends, is a day that's kind of like that. It's a day when everyone in this world will get the chance to face the music. Some people pretend the day will never come. Some will pray that the day never comes. But it will. The time will be up, the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised, and everyone will be judged.

Are you looking forward to that day? We are supposed to be looking forward to Judgment Day as Christians, right? That's the day when Jesus takes us all to heaven to be with him forever! We should be looking forward to it, longing for it, praying that it would come, and come soon! But still, even though our minds might tell us the last day is a good thing, our hearts might tell us something different. Thinking about that last day might still put a few nervous butterflies in your stomach. It might worry you, just a little bit. You might think, "Heaven? Sure. Can't wait. But I'm not looking forward to Judgment Day."

There might be some reasons for that. The first is that even when you're pretty sure of the outcome, there's always the chance that something's going to happen to change things. Judgment Day is the day of a verdict. And even in court cases where it seems like everyone knows what's supposed to happen, the verdict doesn't always go along with the expectations. Maybe the jury won't decide the way people think, or maybe the judge will be having a bad day and will just be looking to make an example out of someone.

Could we face a similar problem on Judgment Day? When we stand before God on that day, what will He say? Will he be the loving Savior of Jesus Christ that we know and love from the Bible, or will he be God the Father, the angry Judge that we've come to fear from the Bible?

Any kids that we have hear today might understand this fear, plus anyone who remembers what it was like when you were younger. Did you ever have something you wanted to ask your parents about, but you'd rather ask one specific parent? There's something you want, and maybe you're pretty sure your dad will say "yes," but you're not sure what mom will say. Or you've done something and you know mom will be understanding, but you're dreading dad coming home. You want to make sure you get the right parent.

We might tend to think of God that way. We might think of Jesus as the understanding one, the forgiving one. But we think of God the Father as the stern one, the powerful one. We might think that meeting Jesus on the last day would be fine, but sure hope we don't run into God the Father!

Jesus dispels that idea in our text. He says, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does." (Jn 5:19-20) No, Jesus reminds us, God the Father and God the Son are one God, and they are perfectly united in everything. We'll never understand how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can be three persons in one God. But knowing that does help us understand some other things. God - the Triune God, will be united in judging us.

Jesus goes on to talk about Judgment Day more specifically. "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him." (Jn. 5:21-23)

On Judgment Day, Jesus says, God the Father has given the power to judge to Jesus alone. And we don't have to worry about Jesus being in a bad mood that day. The Bible tells us that"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Heb. 13:8)

And, when we stand before Jesus, we will be standing before God. If ever there were verses in the Bible that prove that teach that Jesus is God, it's these verses. "...that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him." (Jn. 5:23) If we honor someone just as we honor our heavenly Father, that means we're worshiping that person as God. Well, that's Jesus. In fact, Jesus tells us that if we don't recognize him as God, then we're not really honoring God the Father either. Jesus is our God! And on Judgment day we will see him.

Which brings us to another fear that might be spooking around in our hearts about that day. What about my sins? Oh yes, sure, I know, and I know that you know that Jesus takes our sins away, that his perfect life and innocent suffering and death have given us forgiveness. But still, way back in our minds, when we're up late at night, when no one else is around we think, "Yeah, but he couldn't forgive my sins. He couldn't take away everything I've done." And our hearts beat a little faster as we think that Judgment Day could come at any time.

After all, our sins are real. We might shrug them off. We might give them a wink and a smile. But God and his law do not joke. While giving the Ten Commandments, God said, "I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me." (Ex. 20:5) God is serious about his Law, and he's serious about punishing someone who breaks it. If you don't think God will punish each and every sin you've committed, then you don't know God. The time to face the music comes for every broken commandment.

So what are we to do? Whether it's Judgment Day or just another Sunday morning, we do what we always do: look to Jesus. In our text Jesus gives us the answer in one of the most amazing paragraphs found anywhere in the Bible. He says, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man." (Jn. 5:24-27)

Jesus' voice gives life! Do you hear and read Jesus' Word in the Bible? Do you believe? Then did you hear what Jesus says here? You have eternal life! You will not be condemned! And what is Jesus' Word that you've heard and believed? Simple: Jesus is the Savior. Yes, every sin comes with a punishment, yes, God's wrath comes upon all who break his commands. That's why God the Father put his wrath on Jesus. That's why Jesus, after living a perfect life, walked that way of sorrows to the cross. He bore the punishment for our sins -- all our sins, even the ones we think no one could forgive. Jesus has taken that punishment. He has taken you from being dead in sins to being alive in him! You are forgiven, those sins are gone, you have eternal life.

Notice, I didn't say you will have eternal life. I didn't say that once you get to heaven you'll have eternal life, or once you've done a certain set of required actions you'll get eternal life. No, you have it now! Jesus said so! By faith, God's verdict of "not guilty" have already been given to you! The same message that brought you to faith, the message of Jesus as your Savior, the message of sins forgiven, the message of eternal rescue from sin, death, and hell. It's that same message that ensures our "not guilty" verdict on the Last Day.

Sure, we're not in heaven yet. We still have life on this earth to live. But we already have eternal life! The only difference is that when Jesus returns to take us home, he will give us the full glory of heaven that he already won for us! We don't need to worry about the verdict of our judgment on the Last Day. We already have it! In Christ, it's not guilty!

Eventually the time comes to face the music. It comes for everyone. Judgment Day is like that. But remember, when that day comes, it's not really us as Christians who have to face the music. Jesus faced it for us. He took the punishment in our place. He bought and won our forgiveness, our eternal life. Jesus' voice gives life. We don't need to be scared of Judgment Day; we rejoice in it. So when that day comes, when all this happens, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near (Lk. 21:28).