| From
the Church on the Hill
by D. Eric Williams Pastor, Cottonwood Community Church pastor@cottonwoodcommunitychurch.org I will declare the decree: Yahweh has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession’ (Psalms 2:7-9). To take Trinity season seriously we must first understand the reign of Jesus Christ as a current reality. Thankfully the Bible makes this clear. According to Romans 1:4 Jesus was declared to be the powerful Son of God by the resurrection from the dead. Jesus affirmed this prior to his ascension saying; all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Indeed, before he was crucified Jesus had told the chief priest, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:64). The chief priest knew exactly what Jesus was referring to. That’s why he tore his close and charged Jesus with blasphemy. He understood that Jesus was claiming Daniel’s “son of man prophecy” for himself. Thus, behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then 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 the one Which shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-14). You see, Daniel and Jesus weren’t talking about descending in the clouds. They were talking about ascending. Having ascended, Jesus took up the authority of God’s anointed. It was on that day that Jesus was “begotten.” He wasn’t born or created; in his deity Jesus is the Eternal Son. Instead, Jesus was “begotten” in that he was proven as the fulfillment of all of God’s promises to his people. He was recognized as the Son of Man, the Eschaton Adam, the Savior of the world, the final sacrifice for sin, the Master, the King of kings and so on. And as an enthronement gift, the Father gave Jesus the nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. Now here is something you may not have noticed. Daniel’s sees one like the Son of Man in his vision. Certainly this indicates Jesus - but that’s not all. It also recognizes that Believers are called to imitate Jesus and be like him (1 Corinthians 11:1, 1 John 2:6); they are blessed in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3); and they are enthroned with him (Ephesians 2:6, Revelation 3:20-21). In other words, in Jesus, Believers inherit the kingdom (Luke 22:29, 1 Corinthians 6:2, 1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6). But this inheritance is not realized through force of arms. Instead it is accomplished through self-sacrificial service. Remember, we are called to imitate Jesus; he exemplified glorifying God by doing what most benefits the other person even at great cost to himself. Christians must never employ force – physical, mental, emotional or spiritual – in the spread of the Gospel. We do not bully people into the kingdom. We do not argue people into the kingdom. We do not shame or frighten people into the kingdom. We do not “exorcize” them into the kingdom. We simply proclaim and live the Gospel. I know this might be getting a little old to some of you, but I’m going to say it again; the kingdom of God is realized as each person brings their life and arena of activity under the lordship of Jesus Christ. So, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose. This is how the meek inherit the earth. This is the meaning of Trinity season. |
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