Resurrection Promises

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Please take out your Bibles and turn with me to the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians.
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We're going to be looking at verses 20 to 28 in our continued verse by verse study of the book of 1st Corinthians.
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Is my mic on? It is.
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Okay.
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We've been going through 1st Corinthians now for about a year and a half.
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We are closing in on the end of the book and we're looking today at this paragraph beginning in verse 20 as it says, But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
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For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
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For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
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But each in his own order, Christ, the first fruits, then it has coming those who belong to Christ.
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Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to God, the father, after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
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For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
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The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
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For God has put all things in subjection under his feet.
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But when it says all things are put in subjection, it is plain that he is accepted who put all things in subjection under him.
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And when all things are subjected to him, then the son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him.
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That God may be all in all.
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Father, I thank you for your word.
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And I ask this morning for an extra measure of your spirit to be able to preach.
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And I pray that you would give me the strength of voice and the proper strength of mind and spirit to be able to proclaim your word.
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All right.
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I pray that you would keep me from error.
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And I pray that you would open the hearts of your people to hear your word and to be conformed to it.
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Father, it does no good for us simply to come and fill our minds if our hearts are not moved toward conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Therefore, I pray, God, please change us by the preaching of your word.
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Draw us closer to you.
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And I pray, Lord, for those who are here who may not know you.
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Lord, for the little child in the room who does not know you.
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For the elderly person who has gone their life without coming to a knowledge of you.
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Lord, for the man woman who is here today.
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Lord, who is yet to bow the knee to Jesus Christ.
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May today be a day of reckoning.
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A day of blessing.
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A day of miracle.
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Where, Lord, you grant them the gift of life by the power of your regenerating spirit.
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We pray all this, Lord, in Jesus' name and for his sake.
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Amen.
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I invite you to seat yourselves.
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And I want to make a quick interjection before I begin the sermon.
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It is not uncommon in Florida that we would have rain.
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And it is not also uncommon in Florida that rain will give way to the loss of electricity.
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Therefore, understand this.
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If the lights go off, I will continue to preach.
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And if I continue to preach with no lights, that means I will also have no notes.
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So we will probably be here a little longer.
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Emergency lights will come on if we lose power.
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Just understand that it has happened.
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I've been in the midst of a sermon.
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And the lights go out, but I don't.
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So just keep that in mind.
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We're going to keep on keeping on.
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So let's begin.
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At the heart of historic Christian theology stands a unique understanding of God.
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We are, as Christians, monotheists.
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Which means we believe in only one God.
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But we are also Trinitarian.
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Which means that we believe that God has revealed himself in three persons.
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The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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These three are distinct from one another.
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They are able to relate and be in relationship with one another.
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And yet, they all share the one divine being of God.
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Therefore, when we discuss the person of Jesus Christ, we identify Christ as the God-Man.
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He did not lack anything which constitutes what it means to be human.
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Neither did he lack anything that constitutes to be God.
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Therefore, we have recognized him since the dawn of the church as the Latin phrase, Vera Homo Vera Deus.
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Truly man, truly God.
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These two distinct natures are united in one person.
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Not two persons, one person with two natures.
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And we call this the hypostatic union.
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The union of natures in Christ.
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Therefore, in the Gospels, we see times when Christ demonstrates his human nature.
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He hungers.
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He thirsts.
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He grows in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and with man.
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He submits himself to the will of the Father.
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He says, I do nothing on my own, but I do the will of Him who sent me.
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Likewise, we see times in the Scripture where Christ demonstrates his divinity.
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He knew men's hearts.
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He forgave men's sins.
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And on the mountain of transfiguration, there was a moment where the veil of his humanity was rolled back just for a moment.
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And Peter, James, and John got a glimpse at his divinity.
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And it was an amazing moment of glory where they saw his divine nature.
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And when we venture into the subject of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, we are touching primarily upon the human nature of Christ.
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God cannot die.
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And the divine nature of Christ did not die on the cross.
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It did not cease to exist.
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It was according to his human nature that he died, and according to his human nature that he was raised.
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This is the very reason for the incarnation.
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Jesus was born so that he may die.
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And he became flesh so that he could represent those who were in the flesh.
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It is in his human nature that it makes the cross possible.
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It is his human nature that makes his resurrection meaningful.
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It is his human nature that makes his intercession powerful.
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And it's important that we recognize as we move into this section, verses 20 to 28 of Paul's writing here, that he is focusing on the areas which I believe touch mainly upon the human nature of Christ.
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First, he discusses Christ as the first fruits of the resurrection, meaning like us, Christ rose so that we will rise.
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He talks about him being the last Adam.
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As Adam was a man, Christ also was a man.
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And he talks about Christ being the conquering king, who all things are subjected to, and then he subjects himself to God.
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All of these are conditioned not only upon him being divine, but upon him being vera homo, truly man.
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So keep in mind, it is because of his humanity that he is able to experience death.
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And why in his resurrection, it wasn't just a spiritual resurrection.
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Understand this.
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Christ did not just raise as an ethereal spirit.
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Christ rose bodily from the grave.
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There's no bones.
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There's no flesh.
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He rose as man.
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And what I want to show you today, is that this passage actually contains three promises, which are founded upon the human resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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This passage contains three promises which are based in his resurrection.
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The first fruits shows us the promise of assurance.
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The federal headship shows us the promise of representation.
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And the final consummation shows us the promise of victory.
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That's the three things we're going to look at today.
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I was nervous.
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As I came into the pulpit, I was thinking, no way I'm getting through all that.
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Federal headship could last eight weeks.
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But I don't want to get so consumed with the doctrinal underpinnings that we miss the big picture.
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So let us see what we can do in walking through these to show what Paul is trying to say.
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And I did put it on the back of your bulletin.
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So if you have your bulletin on the back, it actually has the outline for you.
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I don't always do that, but I felt like for this particular message it would be helpful.
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Three things Christ was able to accomplish as the God-man.
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And three promises that we benefit of him being the God-man in the resurrection.
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So let's look first at the firstfruits.
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Looking back at verse 20, it says, In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
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And if you look down at verse 23, he says it again.
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He says, But each in his own order, Christ the firstfruits.
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Then it is coming, those who belong to Christ.
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We see that term firstfruits twice.
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And that language isn't language that's very familiar to us.
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But it would have been very familiar to the people of Paul's day.
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Because firstfruits was an agrarian term.
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It was a term which was used by those who planted their own food.
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We don't do that anymore.
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We buy from Walmart or Winn-Dixie or wherever.
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We don't know what it means to plant a seed and grow our own harvest.
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I mean, most of us.
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Some of you have a green thumb.
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I work really hard at killing things that I plant.
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But some of you guys have skills.
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But you understand this idea of firstfruits.
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The first budding of the fruit was the promise that more is to come.
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It was the first demonstrating that the seed had germinated.
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That it had caught root.
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And that it had begun to absorb the nutrients from the earth.
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And it had broken free of the earth.
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And now this firstfruits is promise that more is coming.
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It's beginning to absorb the energy of the sun.
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And it's beginning to grow.
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This is the promise.
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And it's the assurance that more is to come.
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There was a feast in Israel called the Feast of Firstfruits.
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If you want to make a note, it's Leviticus 23.
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And it says in verses 9 to 11.
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The Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to the people of Israel.
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And say to them when you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest.
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You shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.
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And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord.
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So that you may be accepted on the day after the Sabbath.
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The priest shall wave it.
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So what day did he do this? The first day of the week.
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Firstfruits was on Sunday.
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It was the day after the Sabbath.
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What's happening here? They're celebrating the blessing of assurance.
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They're celebrating that the firstfruits have come.
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As a promise that the rest of the fruit will come.
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Now consider this truth in relation to the resurrection of Christ.
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Paul calls Christ the firstfruits of the resurrection.
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Interesting.
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It may have been on the day that the Jews celebrated this feast that Jesus rose from the dead.
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Because it would have been on the Sabbath following Chag HaMatzah.
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Which was the feast of unleavened bread.
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So it's very possible Jesus rose on the day of firstfruits.
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But here's the thing to consider.
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Jesus is not the first person to ever rise from the dead.
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You understand that, right? There were other people who rose from the dead.
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He rose Lazarus from the dead.
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Not just a few days before his own resurrection.
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A few weeks.
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He rose Jairus' daughter.
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One of the most beautiful stories in the gospels.
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Talitha Kumi.
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Little girl arrives.
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And here this dead girl rises from the dead.
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And is given back to her parents.
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Jesus is traveling.
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A widow is mourning her son as he passes by in the city of Nain.
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And Jesus raises her son to life.
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Jesus isn't the first person to be raised from the dead.
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Why then is he called the firstfruits? Because all of these other people rose from the dead.
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And they died again.
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Can you imagine? I think about that sometimes.
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Lazarus had to die twice.
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Jesus died.
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And he rose never to die again.
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That's what makes his resurrection different.
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Jesus didn't rise in the same condition that he died.
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Only to die again.
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Jesus rose never to die again.
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Therefore he became the firstfruits of a new type of resurrection.
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A different type of resurrection.
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The type that would never die.
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And when you say something is first, what does that imply? There's more coming.
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This is the first.
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Only indicates that there's going to be a second.
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And there's going to be a third.
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And there's going to be more.
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Right? So Jesus is called the firstfruits.
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Because verse 23 says, At his coming, those who belong to him will also be raised.
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You see, this is the promise of assurance.
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We who are in Christ will be raised.
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We who are in Christ will be raised like him, never to die again.
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Paul is going to explain this later in 1 Corinthians 15.
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He says when the corruptible puts on incorruptible.
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When death is no more.
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When we rise and we rise forever.
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That is the promise of Christ.
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When he rose.
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He shows us that God is faithful in bringing in the harvest.
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We have assurance that we will be raised.
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Because Christ has been raised.
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So that's the firstfruits.
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That's the promise of assurance.
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But now let's look at verses 21 and 22.
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We see a second promise.
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And this is, the term I'm using here is federal headship.
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Federal headship.
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If you're a theolog and you're a person who studies the word.
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And you're a person who studies theological terms.
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It's not a new term for you.
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But some of you I know are not.
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So I want to just very briefly help you understand what this means.
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Because it's found in verses 21 and 22.
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It says, For as by a man came death, by a man has also come the resurrection of the dead.
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For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
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Now very quickly with your finger, jump down to verse 45.
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Because he says this again in a little different way.
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Verse 45 he says, Thus it is written, the first man Adam became a living being.
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The last Adam became a life giving spirit.
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So we see this concept being spoken of again in verse 45.
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Paul is identifying the relationship between Adam and Christ.
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As the relationship of federal heads.
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Most of us who are grown up in America.
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Understand at least somewhat of what it means to have a federal head.
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Federal means representative.
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We have a federal government.
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What's that? Representative government.
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We vote in men and women who stand as our representatives.
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And make decisions in our place.
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If the government decides to go to war, guess what? We all go to war.
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If the government decides to make a bad decision, guess what? We all reap the benefit of the government's bad decisions.
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I could do a sermon on that.
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We all reap the benefit of good decisions.
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They represent us in their decision making.
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That's what federal headship is.
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And to understand the idea of what Paul is talking about here.
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You must understand that headship concept.
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Because when Adam was in the garden.
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He was not only acting on his own behalf.
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But Adam was acting as a representative of all of his posterity.
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That's just a fancy word for kids.
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All of Adam's posterity.
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All of Adam's children would be affected by his decision.
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Because he was acting as a representative of all mankind.
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Therefore, when Adam acted in his sin.
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He was acting for all of us.
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In fact, if you don't believe me.
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I would just simply not only point you to this text.
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But if you want to quickly turn with me to Romans chapter 5.
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I'll show you how Paul mentions this.
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And he really just outlines it so plainly.
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Anybody who disagrees with federal headship.
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I say I don't understand how you could get through Romans 5.
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Because Romans 5 is just absolutely so clear.
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Go with me to Romans 5.
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We'll look at verse 12 first.
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It says in verse 12.
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It says, therefore just as sin came into the world through one man.
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And death through sin.
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And so death spread to all men because all sinned.
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If you look at that in context.
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What that's saying is all sinned in Adam.
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We all sinned because of his sin.
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And we see this beginning now at verse 15.
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Jump down to verse 15.
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It says, but the free gift is not like the trespass.
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For if many died through the one man's trespass.
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Much more have the grace of God and the free gift.
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By the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
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And the free gift is not like the result of the one man's sin.
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For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation.
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But the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.
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For if because of one man's trespass.
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Death reigned through the one man.
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Much more will those who received the abundance of grace.
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And the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
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Therefore as one trespass led to condemnation for all men.
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What did that say? One trespass.
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Whose? Adam's.
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Led to condemnation for who? All men.
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Okay so there's really no debate.
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That's what happened.
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So one act of righteousness leads to justification in life for all men.
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For as by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners.
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So by one man's obedience the many are made righteous.
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See Paul is defining Jesus and Adam as two heads.
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Adam is the head of everyone who's in him.
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Christ is the head of everyone who's in him.
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If you are born you're in Adam.
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You're part of his family.
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There is no other.
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By the way this is another reason why we can challenge the idea of evolution.
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Not just because it's unscientific.
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Because in scripture we are all children of only one pair of people.
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It's not as if there were all these little fishies that came out of the ocean and created a bunch of different people and that's why you got black people and white people and people from Asia and other places.
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Evolutionists say this is just the way people evolved.
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No.
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They all came from the same two parents.
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All of the genetics that are in black people.
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All the genetics in white people.
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All the genetics in any race of people.
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It's all one race.
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It really is.
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It's all one race.
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Human race.
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Whether you got a little extra melanin.
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It's still human.
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It's all the same.
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They're all Adam and Eve.
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Everything.
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Imagine the amount of creativity that God had in putting all of the diversity of human life into the DNA of Adam and Eve.
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All of the diversity of human life came through Adam and Eve.
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And it spread out.
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And through the variations and what we would call adaptation and things, there were changes in the way people looked based on where they lived and things like that.
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That did happen.
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But maintained the integrity of being sons and daughters of Adam and Eve.
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Actually, we're all sons and daughters of Noah and his wife.
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Because there wasn't any other families.
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They all died in the flood.
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Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
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In fact, that's the Hebrew three-leaf clover of the differences.
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Japheth, Ham, and Shem.
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They went different directions and essentially established what we would say the threefold differences in mankind.
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But we'll get into that another day.
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The point I'm trying to make is Adam is the head of everyone.
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So everybody's an Adam.
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Therefore, everyone is condemned.
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And people get all upset.
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They say, you know what? I never voted for Adam.
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Let me respond to that.
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Adam was placed in the position of federal headship by God.
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And he is not subject to your vote.
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That simple enough? God doesn't ask for your vote.
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But I want to read a quote.
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This is from John Samson.
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He's a pastor.
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He said, To those who argue the fairness of the headship of Adam, consider that we see every day examples of this principle all around us.
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Your country of birth was not your choice, but because of where your parents lived.
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And when they gave birth to you was not your choice.
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In many countries, children are born into poverty, have disease, and die in infancy solely because of who their parents were.
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Did God not choose their parents? Adam's posterity are under a curse.
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We live in a world of sin.
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And we all die because of that rebellion.
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Is that not fair? Every time you sin, you give your amen to what Adam did.
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Every time you sin, you give your yes and amen to Adam's my head.
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We have such solidarity with Adam's fallen creatures that he federally represented us such that what he did counts as what we did.
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And another writer wrote this.
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He said, Every man who complains that Adam represented him in his sin deceives himself into thinking that he would have done better.
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So Adam represents us in sin.
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You say, I don't like that.
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Well, let me tell you something you might like.
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Because there's not just one representative.
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If all we had was one representative, we'd have no hope.
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But we have another representative, a better representative, a greater representative, a more powerful representative.
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And we have one who came, the Lord Jesus Christ, as a man.
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And he represented us in righteousness.
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Where Adam represented us in death, where Adam represented us in hell, where Adam represents us in sin, Christ represents us in righteousness.
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He represents us in heaven.
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He represents us in grace.
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Christ is our Adam.
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And he's the last one.
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1 Corinthians 14, 45.
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The last Adam.
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There ain't another one.
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Mohammed didn't get to be another Adam.
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Buddha doesn't get to be another Adam.
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Confucius doesn't get to be another Adam.
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Nobody else gets to be another Adam.
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There's only two.
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There's the first Adam who brought death.
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There's the second or last Adam who brings life.
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And there is no other one.
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There is no other representative.
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So I say to you this day, who are you in? Because you were born in Adam.
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Are you still there? Or are you in Christ? There is only two options.
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You're either in Adam by birth or you're in Christ by the new birth.
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In Adam by sin or in Christ by faith.
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And here's the blessing of being in Christ.
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You have a new representative.
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And that's the promise.
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We have the promise of assurance.
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Christ is the first fruits.
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We have the promise of representation.
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Before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea.
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A great high priest whose name is love, whoever lives and pleads for me.
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My name is written on his hand.
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My name is written on his heart.
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And he stands in heaven for me.
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My representative.
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That's my promise.
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That's my second promise.
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The third promise is the promise of victory.
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Look with me now at verses 24 to 28.
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Then comes the end.
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See Christ made first fruits.
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He gives us the victory.
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Now comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to the father.
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After destroying every rule and every authority and every power.
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You understand this beloved.
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Christ is reigning right now.
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He is not waiting on a kingdom.
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He said at his resurrection.
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All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me.
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Now.
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Not later.
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Now.
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And he's reigning for what purpose? The text tells us.
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He is reigning until all his enemies be made his footstool.
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Until all his enemies are under his feet.
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This is an illusion.
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Verses 24, 25, 26 and 27.
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Make illusions back to Psalm 2.
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Which talks about the fact that.
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Well, let's look at it.
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Let's just quickly.
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We'll jump back there.
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Psalm chapter 2.
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Why do the nations rage? And the people's plot in vain.
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The kings of the earth set themselves.
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And the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed.
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His Messiah.
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That's the word anointed.
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Saying let us burst their bonds apart and cast away the cords from us.
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And he who sits in the heavens laughs.
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The Lord holds them in derision.
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Then he will speak to them in his wrath.
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And terrify them in his fury.
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Saying as for me I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.
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And I will tell you of this decree.
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The Lord has said to me you are my son.
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Today I have begotten you.
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Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage.
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And the ends of the earth your possessions.
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You shall break them with a rod of iron.
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And dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
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Now therefore oh kings be wise.
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Be warned.
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Oh rulers of the earth.
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Serve the Lord with fear.
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And rejoice with trembling.
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Kiss the son lest he be angry.
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And you perish in the way.
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For his wrath is quickly kindled.
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Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
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That's a picture of Christ.
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That is a picture of Christ.
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He's the king.
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And there are nations which are rebelling against him.
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And you better look out.
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Because he's going to make his enemies his footstool.
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He's going to crush you under the weight of his wrath.
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You say I don't like a God like that.
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Would you prefer a God who loves sin? Would you prefer a God who allowed for sin to not be punished? I tell people all the time.
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I say imagine your mother was beaten and hurt.
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And the person who did that to her was taken before a judge.
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And the judge said oh he's free to go.
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I know he did it.
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And I know he's guilty.
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But let him go.
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How much anger would you have at the judge who was not worthy and willing to judge in righteousness one who hurt your own mother? You would say he's unfit to judge.
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He's unfit to hold the throne.
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He's unfit to have the gavel.
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Because he does not have the intestinal fortitude to judge as a judge should judge.
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Beloved God has the intestinal fortitude to judge.
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Christ will judge.
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And this text is tough.
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I'm not going to lie.
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Because this text does contain some things here that are theologically difficult.
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I wrestled with it this week.
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I'm going to be honest.
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Because if you go back to the first Corinthians passage.
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It says basically this.
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It says that the son is going to rule until all things are put into subjection to him.
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But then in verse 27 Paul says something kind of strange.
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He says God has put all things into subjection under his feet.
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But when he says all things are put into subjection it's plain that he is exempted who put all things.
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Meaning this.
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God's not under Christ's feet.
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And in this sense if you think of it from a Trinitarian perspective.
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He's referring to the father and the son's relationship.
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And the relationship of the father and the son is this.
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The father sent the son.
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And when the son came in his incarnation he came in subjection to the father.
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And we say wait a minute.
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He's Trinity.
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There's divine unity.
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There's no subjection father to son if they're the same being.
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Yes.
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But in the incarnation there is submission.
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That's right.
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And that must be understood to understand this.
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Because I tell you what.
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If the Jehovah Witness comes to your door.
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This is one of the verses they pull out.
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See the son is subject to the father.
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He can't be equal to the father if he's subject to him.
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I've been there man.
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I chase them down.
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They come to our house.
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I'm walking after them.
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Because we got to talk.
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I'm not bringing my neighbors this garbage.
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We got to talk.
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Come to me.
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Bad theology has to be responded to.
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But we have to understand that there are passages which require us to deal with them.
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This is one of them.
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How do we handle this? I think the simplest explanation and the easiest explanation is this.
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Within the incarnation there is subjection of Christ to the father.
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And we know this because the passages of scripture which clearly say this.
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John 6.38.
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Jesus said, I have come down from heaven not to do my will.
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But the will of him who sent me.
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John 5.30.
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I can do nothing of my own.
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As I hear I judge.
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And my judgment is just.
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Because I seek not my own.
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But the will of him who sent me.
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You realize when Jesus was on the earth.
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He called the father God.
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People have trouble with that from a Trinitarian perspective.
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How can Jesus call God, God? Because in his incarnation he did not give up his divinity.
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But he did submit himself in the incarnation.
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He was empowered by the Holy Spirit.
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And he was subject to the father.
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And here is the beauty of it.
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Jesus is not a rebellious son.
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People say, why would Jesus be subjected to the father? Because he is not a rebel.
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He said, I and the father are one.
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And by the way, that's not really a Trinitarian argument.
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People use that to argue for the trinity.
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That's not really a Trinitarian argument.
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Because the word one there doesn't mean one of nature.
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It means one of spirit or one of desire.
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My father and I have the same goal.
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And when two people have the same goal, there is no rebellion.
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When two people have the same goal, there is no arguing.
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They are walking lock step together.
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And the father and the son are in lock step together.
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This is vital within the trinity.
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Jesus humbled himself by becoming obedient.
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Remember what we read this morning? Brother Mike came up and read Philippians chapter 2.
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What does it say? He humbled himself by becoming a servant.
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And what does it say? To the point of death, even death on a cross.
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Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.
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So that in the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow in heaven on earth and under the earth.
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And every tongue confess that Jesus is Christ to the glory of God the Father.
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You see the son subjected himself.
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He submitted himself.
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And God glorified him.
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And seated him upon the throne.
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And now he rules and reigns from that throne.
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But that reign is going to come to an end one day.
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When all things are put under subjection under his feet.
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And he crushes his enemies to dust.
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He will bring that kingdom that he has established.
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And he will present it to the Father as a gift.
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That's right.
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And at that point.
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God.
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The triune God of the universe.
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Father, Son, and Spirit.
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Will be all in all.
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That is the victory.
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That's the victory.
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That's the promise.
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This world is going to hell.
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But we are not.
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This world will be consumed with fire and burned down to the very elements.
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But we will not.
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We will have a new heaven.
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And a new earth.
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And the dwelling place of God will be with man.
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That's the victory.
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And that's the blessing of this passage.
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The promise of victory.
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The promise.
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Of representation.
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The promise.
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Of assurance.
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Is all found.
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In these few verses.
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And all of these promises.
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Are based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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If Christ did not raise, he's not the first fruits.
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And we have no assurance.
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If Christ is not raised.
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He's not the last Adam.
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And we have no representative.
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If Christ is not raised.
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He did not defeat death.
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And we have no victory.
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But in fact.
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Christ has been raised.
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So the question we have to ask ourselves.
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Beloved, friends.
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Are we living in light of those promises? To believers, I would ask you this.
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Do you live in the assurance of your own resurrection? Do you live with assurance? Do you live in the confidence of the one who represents you? Do you live in the expected hope of the coming victory? And to unbelievers.
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Those who have not bowed the knee to Christ.
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I would say this.
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If you remain outside of Christ.
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The only thing you have assurance of is judgment.
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The only representative you have is Adam.
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And the only event.
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In your future.
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That you can be certain of is this.
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The son will make you his enemy.
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One day be his footstool.
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Because today, if you are outside of Christ, you are an enemy of God.
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But I call you today.
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By repentance and faith.
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Turn from your sin.
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And become the friend of God.
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By nature.
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We are enemies.
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By grace.
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We become friends.
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Are you a friend of God today? Let's pray.
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Father, I thank you for this word.
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And I pray, Lord, that this word would dive deep into our hearts.
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And would stir us all to a response.
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Lord, to the believers.
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That they would respond in confidence.
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In assurance.
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And in hope.
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And for the unbeliever, Lord.
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That they would respond in brokenness.
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In desperation.
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And with an eye towards the Lord Jesus Christ.
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And that they would see him seated upon his throne.
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As a king who is worthy to be worshipped.
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Lord, that they would not want him as an enemy.
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But that they would desire him.
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As a friend.
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And I pray it, Lord, in his name.
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Amen.