“He Hath Given Assurance Unto All Men” (Ready to Worship S9E10)

April 12, 2019

Ready to Worship Season 9, Episode 10 for Friday, April 12, 2019

This season on Ready to Worship, we are examining the resurrection. I believe that examining this event will enrich our worship.
Standing on Mars Hill Paul declared, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31). Our primary focus in this study is going to be on the last part of verse thirty-one. God has given assurance unto all men that there is going to be a judgment day. The assurance is the resurrection of Christ from the dead. The empty tomb guarantees that God is going to judge the world. Just think about it. This verse and others declare that Jesus is the judge (2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Tim. 4:8). If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead then we don’t have to worry about judgment. After all, a dead judge strikes fear in no on one. However, a living judge is another story; especially, a judge that has the power to destroy both body and soul in hell (Mt. 10:28). That is the very kind of judge that we face. The hour is coming when all that are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth to be judged(John 5:28-29). Those that have done good will enjoy a resurrection of life. Those who have done evil will suffer a resurrection of damnation. Earthly judges can sentence individuals to death. However, earthly death by lethal injection doesn’t compare to an eternal destruction in a lake of fire (2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 21:8). An earthly judge can hand down a sentence of life without parole. However, a life sentence takes on a new meaning when eternity is involved (Mt. 25:46). An earthly judge cannot stack enough consecutive life sentences on top of each other to equal the one life sentence that Jesús will hand down.
As we get ready to worship this week, we need to gather with the full assurance that God has ordained a day in which He will judge the world. The empty tomb declares it.