God's Final Word Part 2

by John Lowe
(Laurens SC, USA)

Sixth, Jesus is worthy of speaking God's word because he sacrificed himself for our sins.
Now Jesus sits "at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."
That's the place of authority, and that's where Jesus sits.
This is a lot of information to take in; therefore it needs to be summarized.

This may help: according to Hebrews 1, Jesus is uniquely qualified to speak God's final word to us, because he is intimately related to both God the Father in heaven and the creation here below.
Here's how.
His heavenliness is attested to by the fact that he reflects God's glory and is the exact representation of his character.
Now he sits at the right hand of God in heaven, and He is there to mediate for us.
It's also the case that His earthliness is attested to by the fact that he will inherit the whole earth and its kingdoms; he is the agent of creation, holding everything that he created together even now, and he has provided purification for our sins.
This is a lot of information, but even if you had never really thought about it there is really nothing here that is a surprise.

Now, we should all know that Jesus is God's final answer.
Let's think about what that means for you and me today.
Have you ever watched the TV show, "Who Wants to be a Million Heir?"
When Regis asks, "Is that your final answer?" the contestants say "Final Answer."
That means there are no more chances.
Up to that point, the contestant can say anything he or she wants and it won't count.
But once the final answer is given, there is no more negotiating.

Since Jesus is God's final answer, we must respond to Him.
There are no more second opportunities to please God.
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12
On judgment day there will be no "ifs, ands or butts."
The only question will be, "Did you accept the forgiveness available to you through Jesus Christ?"
We won't have the opportunity to say, "No but I was a good person."
"No, but I did a lot of good things."
"No, but I helped a lot of people. I made a lot of people's lives better."
It won't be enough.

Since Jesus is God's final answer, and God is a God of justice and righteousness, God will bring about righteous judgment through Jesus.

I get impatient here because unrighteousness and injustice thrives.
There are things that are happening here that just don't fit in a world that God made.
In a world that God made, there should be no killing of unborn babies let alone state-approved and state-protected killing of unborn babies.
In a world that God made, we shouldn't be afraid to go anywhere.
Everywhere should be safe.
In a world that God created there shouldn't be divorce, child abuse, and the general degradation of the family.
In a world that God created, I shouldn't have to worry about being cheated or robbed.
These things don't fit in a world God made.

In light of what I have just said, I have two choices.
I can conclude that God did not make this world; for if he did he would have done a better job.
Or on the other hand, I can conclude that since God did make this world, He will one day bring it to the point he wants it to be.
I don't have any reason to question God when I realize that God works on his time schedule, not on mine.
Since Jesus is God's final answer, I will trust completely in him.
I will throw my whole self into him, knowing that by His grace, he will take me as I am and make me what he wants me to be.

We are not unlike the world in that there are things in us that do not fit into the picture of a person created by God & saved by Jesus.
If I am created by God & I'm saved by Jesus, then why am I so easily angered?
If I am created by God & I'm saved by Jesus, then why do I so easily hate others?
If I am created by God & I'm saved by Jesus, then I shouldn't be jealous of what other people have.
If I am created by God and I'm saved by Jesus, then I should love His word more, enjoy his people more, desire to pray more, get lost in praise more, devote myself to good works more, and just be a better person.
Things should be different because I am created by God and saved by Jesus.

How do I deal with the fact that I am not what I should be?
I should trust in Jesus; God's final answer.
If Jesus is the last word from God, and I know that I should be different than I am, then I have to trust Jesus to complete his work in me.

Paul was confident concerning Christians in Philippi and he wrote that the God "who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

I am not who I want to be.
I am certainly not who God wants me to be--except in one aspect.
I am trusting in Jesus.
My hope, my desire, my need is that my trust in Jesus will increase.
I trust him to carry on his work in me to completion so that on that day he returns I will have fewer changes to make to be who he wants me to be, than I do now.

Jesus is God's final answer.

Ben Patterson, a Christian writer, writes about a mountain climbing experience he had.
He was a novice and it got him into big trouble.
He was stuck on a glacier.
The sun was melting the ice, making it very slippery.
He was about ten feet from the safety of a rock, but one slip meant a slide down the side of the mountain with nothing to stop him until he reached the valley floor.
He was frozen with fear.
Finally one of the experienced climbers made his way to him.
Another one of the climbers made footsteps in the glacier leading from the dangerous spot to the rock.
It would only take two steps.
The instructions were "Step into the first foothold and immediately swing your other foot into the next foothold."
Then he will have gone far enough to be reached by his friend.
Sounded good, but there was one last word of instruction that was not so easy to follow.
The experienced climber said, "Don't lean into the mountain. If you do, your feet may fly out from under you, and you will fall down the mountain. Instead of leaning into the mountain, lean away from the mountain."
For Ben Patterson that was the final answer.
Trust the experienced climber and lean away from the mountain.
What would he do?
He did the only logical thing--he trusted the one who because of his experience knew best.

In your life and in my life, Jesus knows best.
He is intimately involved with both heaven and earth.
He is God's final answer.
If you want to get from here to there.
If you want to be who God desires you to be, then trust Jesus.
Jesus is God's final answer.

Amen.