Surprised by Love

Luke 7:11-17 Imagine the emotions in this Mother – the exhilaration and absolute wonder – she had been surprised by love.

The Son of God was manifesting his true identity, it was no secret that God had visited his people. In Romans 8 Paul tells us that not just a Son, but sons are going to manifest their true identity, indeed that the whole of creation eagerly await this manifestation of the sons of God.

There’s been plenty of ‘noise’ in the media this past few weeks about the end of the world, and you’ve probably had people – knowing you’re a Christian – have asked what you make of it all.

The first thing we need to sort out is this: who is the Judge? John 5:22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son. So the Son has all judgment given to him.

The next question is: what is the Son going to use this judgment for? What kind of Judge is he? John 3:17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He’s a judge that doesn’t judge, but saves!

1. •God has shamelessly rigged the whole legal process. He is scandalously in cahoots with the guilty, and made it clear that he is a judge whose very modus operandi  is non-judgment.
   

1. •The Jews of Jesus day were looking for a Messiah who would exercise a judgment that would wipe-out the Romans. And Jesus disciples were the same, they took a long time to understand Jesus plan of dying in order to save, of losing in order to win.
   

1. •Many parts of the Church have been the same, wanting Jesus to deal judgment on sinners, especially the really bad ones. Come on his horse and destroy the wicked with his power. But consider Acts 10 -  God sends Peter to some heathen and he says to them, the Lord has showed me that I should treat no one as unholy or unclean. (v28)
   

The only judgment you can have is self-judgment (condemning yourself – to stay out of the environment of his love and mercy) because the Son came, not to judge but to save.

Anyone is free, like the elder brother of the prodigal son, to complain about the saving, restoring mercy of the Father on those who least deserve it – and to condemn themselves to sitting outside the celebration, miss the party of joy and feasting that the Father is throwing (that’s not God’s judgment, that’s their own judgment).

The only people that Jesus gave a hard time to were the religious ones who thought they were so spotless that they didn’t have to take the plea bargain that everyone else was getting at the Judge’s bench.

Listen to Paul in Romans 11:32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience (= no one is spotless)  so that he may have mercy on them all.

What does this mean, that everyone is saved? No, it means that everyone and every sin was in Christ on the cross: atonement has been made for every person and extended as a free and unconditional gift. A person may self judge themselves and refuse the irresistible. But He loves the whole world and comes to have mercy on them all! The very next verse says …

        Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his

        judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

        (Amplified) Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How

        unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how

        untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)!

What does this mean? It means don’t try to figure it all out, it’s too wonderful. And don’t listen to anyone who says they’ve figured it all out.

There is only one judgment and it happened on the cross, and this sinner was judged there, and the sentence carried out!

1. •That was Psalm 85:10 Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.
   

2. •Truth said I deserved judgment, but truth met mercy at the cross.
   

3. •Righteousness said I was unrighteous, but righteousness kissed peace at the cross.
   

Consider this - If the end of the age is harvest time (this is what Jesus said in the Kingdom parables), then when was seed time?

Seed time was the cross (Jesus said he was the seed).

So if the “seed” is the ultimate display of the love and mercy of God for the world, what might the harvest time, the end of the age look like?

Will it look like a select number of people flying off the earth leaving the rest to doom and destruction? Aircraft falling out of the sky because the pilot was raptured? High speed, multiple fatality motorway crashes because drivers suddenly disappear? Absolutely not! It will not look like that! That kind of stuff is from the devil’s playbook … it’s his MO to rob, kill and destroy. No action of God will do that!

It will look like a massive multiplication of the “seed” – that’s what harvest is! Love, mercy, salvation, atonement, forgiveness, grace … multiplying across the world from the seed. The planet will be surprised by love!

Paul said (Romans 5), For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. “many” (Greek) = abundant, great, plenteous – from Greek word = the largest number, the major portion, most. (Same as in Hebrews 2:10 many).

The planet’s most glorious days made possible because one man took our judgment on a cross. Let’s surprise the plant with love!

Yes, there is a final reckoning at God’s great white throne where the books are opened – and there the Book of Life is opened and listed there are the names of all those who came to the Judge’s bench and took the pardon, took the mercy to receive what they didn’t deserve. And sure, anyone can choose to get what they deserve, eternal separation from God, living outside the Father’s party for prodigals.

So throw out that picture of the Christian’s being raptured off the planet, that’s not sound doctrine – that came from a woman’s vision in the 1830’s. None of the great revivalists and writers prior to that time (Wesley, Whitfield, Luther, Calvin, or early church fathers like Augustine, Clement) believed that.

The reason those poor folk awaiting a rapture were met by such bewilderment and ridicule by the world was not because the world, in general, are godless mockers - it's because the whole creation has been wired to expect something different (Romans 8:19).

Get a vision of great harvest, of nations flowing into the house of God, of the earth being full of the glory of the Lord, of the sons of God being manifested with glory and greater works power that set’s creation free not discards it to judgment.

It’s the inevitable consequence of a seed of great love and grace being sown into the garden of planet earth 2000 years ago. It’s the legacy of the Son who took every persons place on the cross.

So be a purveyor of Good News – surprise the world with love!