August 1, 2020 -- John 5:25 -- Jesus the Firstfruit of the Great Harvest

Truly, truly, I say to you an hour is coming and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

John 5:25 English Standard Version

When you read through John’s Gospel, you will see the expression “the hour” quite frequently. It is the culmination of God’s redemptive plan. Already before there was a creation it was the design of our Father in heaven to seek and save sinners (Ephesians 1:3-5). Just stop and think about that for a minute. The hour is the unfolding of that salvation plan, fulfilled when at the cross Jesus declared: “it is finished”! No more could our sins be held against us by the devil. We have a Redeemer-King Who triumphed over the devil, over sin, over the grave and even over death itself.

The resurrection of Jesus Himself is proof enough that Jesus is trustworthy and true. However, He added another sign—the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. This was fulfilled in part when at Jesus’ death, “…behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs were also opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. (Matthew 27:51-53). Can you imagine, hearing Jesus was raised from the dead, rumours of His great resurrection, and then seeing your father, who had died, standing there raised from the dead?!

Jesus is the firstfruits—He is the sign of a great harvest of believers raised from the dead and brought to life (I Corinthians 15:23). By the way, this is why those raised from the dead did not appear until Jesus Himself appeared raised from dead—they were those who were proof and evidence of His resurrection, the confirmation of His glory and the fulfilment of sign promised in our text today. Even more than this, they are the evidence that in Jesus’ victory over sin, death and the grave would be applied to saints through successive ages and generations until Jesus Himself appears at the Day of Judgment.

Today, all who hear the voice of Jesus through the reading of the bible and believe because of the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives, we are made alive. We are brought already now from death to life. We do not fear death or the grave because Jesus Christ is our life and our resurrection—and in His glorious Name we have a Father in heaven Who keeps us safe. It is our joy and our song to serve God with all we have and all we are.

Blessed Jesus at Your Word, at the sound of Your voice, we are gathered all to hear You. Let our hearts and souls be stirred. You are the joy of our souls and the sure hope anchoring our lives to all that is good and holy. Spirit of the Living God, lead us in the way everlasting. Blessed are You, Triune God, forever blessed and glorious. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhbTXFHv5Uc