Blog
“The Work of the Son Today”
Categories: Sermons
I may be mistaken here, but it seems to me that when it comes to the work that God does today, we pay even less attention to the work of the Son than we do to the work of the Father or the work of the Spirit. We tend to credit the Father with all of those generic God functions, and the continuing controversies about the Spirit at least make us consider what He is doing now.
Jesus, however, doesn’t get any of that attention. From somewhere, we seem to have gotten the idea that now that He has ascended, He’s just kind of hanging out at the right hand of the Father, waiting until His reappearance on the day of judgment.
If that’s what we think, we could not be more mistaken. As with the Father, the Son is continually active, and we depend on His activities in any number of areas. Let’s consider some of these as we study the work of the Son today.
First, the Scriptures tell us that Jesus UPHOLDS. Here, let’s look at Hebrews 1:3. This text is a fascinating glimpse into the nature of reality, and it tells us just how mistaken Christian deism is. God did not make the universe like a watch and then sit back and let it run. The universe does not have an independent existence. Instead, it depends on a constant infusion of power from Jesus. If He were to cease upholding it even for a moment, all the visible creation would be obliterated.
Believe it or not, even science gives us reason to believe that Jesus is working in this way. The best model that we have for understanding reality is the general theory of relativity. However, according to the general theory of relativity, the universe should not be holding together. Stars should disintegrate. Galaxies should fly apart. Scientists generally agree, then, that there is some force that we cannot define or measure that is sustaining the universe. Typically, they say that dark matter, which, again, no one ever has seen or measured, is responsible for this. Personally, I tend to suspect that this incredible force is nothing other than the word of the power of Jesus.
This should awe us. It’s impressive that God created the heavens and the earth, but that happened a long time ago. By contrast, at this very moment, Jesus is wielding power on a scale that is cosmic, incomprehensible. I can’t even wrap my mind around the vastness of the universe to begin with, much less the incredible might required to hold it all together, atom by atom. Next to a being like Jesus, all of us are nothing.
Second, in a related idea, Jesus REIGNS. Let’s flip the page in our Bibles to Hebrews 2:7-8. Here, the Hebrews writer is quoting Psalm 8, which originally applied generically to mankind. However, as He explains, it especially applies to Jesus and to His rulership of creation until everything will be brought into subjection under His feet. For the past 2000 years, it fundamentally hasn’t mattered who rules on earth, because Jesus reigns in heaven.
Among other things, this exposes some of the problems with the false doctrine of premillennialism. Premillennialists claim that God always intended for Jesus to reign as an earthly king in Jerusalem, but His plan was defeated by Jesus’ crucifixion. The church, then, is basically a Plan B until Jesus returns to earth to take up the kingship that He was denied 2000 years ago, at which point He will rule for 1000 years.
Brethren, this doesn’t make sense. When Jesus is the King of the universe right now, why would it even be important for Him to be king in Jerusalem? That would be like the President of the United States finishing out His term and going to work as a convenience store clerk! Who would do that?
Instead, Jesus has authority over everything, Jerusalem included, right now, and His reign will continue until the defeat of His final enemy, death. At that point, He will return the kingdom to the Father. For now, though, no absolute monarchy the world has ever seen can compare to the reign of King Jesus. Let’s make sure we honor Him accordingly.
Third, Jesus MEDIATES. Consider 1 Timothy 2:5. Here, we learn not only that Jesus is a mediator between man and God. He is the only possible mediator.
There’s some confusion about this point. I’ve heard it said that Jesus is the only intercessor between man and God. The problem is, though, that intercession and mediation aren’t the same thing. Intercession is approaching someone else on a third party’s behalf. Mediation is helping two other parties to resolve their differences.
Jesus certainly is both intercessor and mediator. However, when it comes to intercession, Jesus is not unique. Every Christian has the right to intercede with God in prayer on behalf of another. In fact, every time we pray in the assembly for someone’s health or well-being, that is an intercessory prayer.
Mediation, on the other hand, is a role that belongs uniquely to the Son. For all of us who are of age, our sin has set us at odds with God, and we need someone to reconcile us to Him. Literally the only one who can do that is Jesus. Either we come to the Father through the Son, or we do not come to Him at all.
This means that we have to come to God on Jesus’ terms. We don’t get to decide that the sinner’s prayer, for instance, is adequate to cleanse us of our sins. Instead, we have to call upon the name of the Lord. We have to appeal to His authority in the way that He prescribed. If we want Jesus to mediate for us, there’s only one way to get Him to fulfill that role, and that is through baptism.
Finally, Jesus PREPARES. Here, let’s read from John 14:1-3. To me, this is one of the most beautiful passages in the entire Bible. However, I think it becomes even more beautiful when we take a moment to consider the Greek grammar. Unlike formal English, koiné Greek has a second-person plural pronoun, and that’s what Jesus is using here. To put things in Tennessean, all the way through this passage, rather than saying “you”, Jesus is saying “y’all”. In context, that means all of the people who still were present at the Last Supper, but by extension, it means all of us.
The implications for every single Christian in this room are profound. No matter how unworthy or insignificant you feel, Jesus loves you, right now. He is working to prepare a place for you in heaven, right now. Right now, He is planning to come again and receive you to Himself, so that forever, wherever He is, there you will be.
That, brethren, is what makes Christianity worthwhile. For that matter, it is what makes life on earth worthwhile. Discipleship isn’t always fun. Often, we are called upon to do difficult things that we don’t enjoy. We’re called to carry a cross, not a pillow. However, at the end of all of that, Jesus will be ready and waiting for us. Our amazing and wonderful Savior, who was willing even to die for us, is eager to fill our eternity with joy, and nothing could be better than that!
