The Son of Man and the Ancient of Days Sermon for August 6, 2023
Why do we always talk about Jesus on Sundays? Why don’t we talk about politics or social trends, or even just hope in a very general sense, or spirituality in a general way?
Why do we believe Jesus is relevant and why do we need to keep talking about Him? And why is this true today and has been true every day since the death and resurrection of Jesus? I’m asking!
Yes, for those of us who have found in Him that Pearl of Great Price, that Great Treasure, that genuine living water, that friend like no other, that perfect hope - it’s like we just can’t stop talking about Him.
We’re so into Jesus that we’re ok with being misunderstood, being mislabelled, being thought of as less than for our beliefs. We’re so into Jesus that we absorb all of the misunderstanding that comes with being a follower of Jesus.
My father, an atheist at the time I became a Christian, thought that I would become a right-wing republican with ultra conservative views on everything.
When I told my Mom I had become a follower of Jesus she said: “As long as you don’t become one of those people who just goes around blessing everybody!”
My family was worried I’d joined a cult and would become a loopy cultist.
The earliest Christians had it much rougher. They were grossly misunderstood.
Because of the mass or the eucharist or communion, people thought outright that Christians were cannibals - you know, the body and blood of Jesus.
And Christians were treated at best with disdain because of this misunderstanding.
They were completely misunderstood by religious leaders who felt threatened by their testimony about the Prince of Peace as they had been threatened by Jesus.
So Why? Why do we always talk about Jesus on Sundays?
Today we are looking at two very interesting passages from the Bible that help us to zero in on who this Jesus is and why he is such a big deal.
Let’s look close up at the fist passage, from the book of Daniel. Daniel is considered a minor prophet. He’s a minor prophet not because what he has to say is somehow less than what the Major Prophets have to say.
It's simply because the Book of Daniel is smaller than some of the other, longer prophetic books like Ezekiel and Isaiah and Jeremiah.
Those longer books take their time to communicate what they need to from God. Daniel and the other Minor Prophets are much more concise and they are quick to get to the point.
Here’s verses 9 and 10:
9 “As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.
The phrase “Ancient of Days” refers to God the Father, And in Daniel's vision this figure has white hair and a white robe.
We see the river of fire coming out before Him. And of course, the angels, numbering 10,000 squared, which equals one hundred million. That’s a lot of angels, messengers of God.
So this is a grand image of God the Father, one that you may or may not be able to relate to. All powerful, wise, completely sovereign, utterly majestic in every imaginable way.
And this like the way a lot of people think when they think of God, or when they think of the Judeo-Christian view of God.
Of course the reality is that God the Father does not have a corporeal form, He doesn’t have a body. But still, the picture accurately depicts Daniel’s description of the Ancient of Days.
Note, for anyone offended by my showing this image due to the prohibition of images of the divine that we find in the 10 Commandments, please understand that I’m showing these images not for the purpose of worshiping the images, which is the point of the caution in the 10 Commandments.
It’s for the purpose of helping us begin to wrap our minds around the greatness and holiness and majesty of God, as portrayed in Scripture. God is vastly greater than any image can possibly convey.
And as the text says, 13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
So here we see the Son of Man, a reference to Jesus, being predicted, prophesied by Daniel, who lived between 620 and 538 BC.
So many hundreds of years before the Incarnation, the event of Jesus being born on this planet,
we see in Daniel’s vision Jesus coming with the clouds of heaven and coming up to, being led into the presence of the Ancient of Days.
So here the Son of Man is a heavenly person. A heavenly person who descends to this world.
His principal role includes being a heavenly judge. Sometimes we think that Jesus calling Himself the Son of Man was an expression of humility, when in fact it was His claim to divine authority.
When Jesus heals on the sabbath and He is rebuked by His enemies, he says: “I did this so that you may know that the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
And when he forgives sins and creates an uproar from his contemporaries, say, “Only God has the authority to forgive sins,”, Jesus says: “I did this so that you might know that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.”
And again and again and again you will begin to see that this title, “Son of Man” that Jesus uses for Himself, is a highly exalted title.
In Matthew 8:20 and Luke 9:58 Jesus states: "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head."
This ties in with the Old Testament prophetic expressions used by such prophets as Ezekiel, and it shows Jesus' understanding of himself as the "man" that God has singled out as a friend and representative.
The first chapter of the Book of Revelation refers to "one like a Son of man" in Revelation 1:12-13 which radiantly stands in glory and speaks to the author.[12]
In the Gospel of John Jesus is not just a messianic figure, nor a prophet like Moses, but the key emphasis is on his dual role as Son of God and Son of man.
This is Jesus, God the Son, coming into the presence of the Ancient of Days, God the Father.
And what happens? God the Father, the Ancient of Days, gives Jesus authority, glory and sovereign power. And people from all nations worship Jesus.
And the reign of Jesus, the dominion of Jesus is pronounced as an everlasting dominion that will not pass into history, a dominion that will never be uprooted, usurped or ended - it will never be destroyed.
This is a powerful description of Christ, an amazing image of Jesus, that you may or may not be familiar with or even comfortable with.
What aspect of Jesus are you most comfortable with? Jesus the shepherd? Jesus with children?
Jesus The Bread of Life that Pastor Ben Bowser spoke about last Sunday? The Word made flesh? Healer? Saviour? Good Shepherd? Prince of Peace? King of kings? Messiah?
The reality of Who Jesus is is all this. The reality of Who Jesus is is all this and so much more.
God first got my attention through the biblical description and portrayal of Jesus as Saviour - the Friend of Sinners, The One who gave His life for me, the one who demonstrated - who PROVED His love for me by dying for my sins on the cross.
And I’m glad for that understanding of Who Jesus is. But in order for me to grow as a believer, as a disciple of Jesus, I needed to come to understand Jesus as the sovereign King, the Lord of Lords.
The Great Shepherd...the one Who calls me to deny myself and take up my cross and follow Him.
And although it can be overwhelming for our brains, it shouldn’t surprise us that since Scripture is revealing Who God is and because God is vastly greater than we can possibly imagine, there are an infinite number of attributes of God that help us to have a more fulsome and accurate understanding of God.
And all of our understanding of God, all that we are intended to know and have the capacity to take in about God is contained in Jesus.
Colossians 2:9 is helpful: “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form”. That’s the NIV. I’ve always loved the way the King James translation puts it: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily”.
So what is the primary message of the passage in Daniel? God the Father, attended by 100 million angels (10,000 X 10,000) gives Jesus all authority and people from every nation and tribe worship him, who possesses the eternal kingdom. That was radical for Daniel to write because only the Jewish nation was thought, at that time, to be God’s people.
Our second passage for today is the one that was read by _________, about the transfiguration of Jesus.
So what’s happening here, really. Simply put, Jesus’ appearance transformed in front of disciples.
Their big questions about who Jesus is are given one colossal, not entirely expected answer.
Each of us has wondered "Who is Jesus?" Does He have a place in my life? That's the 1st question we often ask when we're new to spiritual things: “Can I fit Jesus into my life? Can He be a part of me?”
If we keep on with Jesus, if we walk in the faith we have and practice being a Christian for long enough,
if we start to mature in Christ, we get around to a better question: “How can I better be a part of His life? How can I be a part of His life? How can I be of service to His Church? How can I be of service in His Kingdom?
What role is there for me to play that let's me be me, but a 'me' that's empowered by the Spirit of God to live for purpose...for His purpose?
Anyway, the disciples’ big question is addressed right at this moment in Matthew's account. What is that question? It’s “Who is Jesus? Why does He matter?
Is He a good man who teaches a good philosophy? Is He a guy with courage to face big-time leaders and call them out?
Is He maybe that deliverer that God promised ages ago who will squish the enemies of the people of God like a bug? Who is this guy and why am I following Him?”
You know that's likely the bigger question on the minds of these disciples, each of whom who had given up everything in order to follow this peculiar rabbi.
And then, because that wasn’t quite strange enough, His clothes become as white as the light that shone from His face. His disciples are gasping: "Wow" "What in the..." "No way!"
They're in shock. Never witnessed ANYTHING like this. This is 2000 years before CGI, before special effects were even dreamed of.
There's no denying, no justifying, no rationalizing this transfiguration away. Put yourself in the shoes of these guys. They are...dumbfounded.
The light, maybe it starts to go on in their minds.
This is more than a carpenter, more than a rabbi. More than a great teacher. More than someone who's upsetting the religious status quo.
More than a little dangerous, this, our rabbi we had breakfast with this morning and who now stands before us in radiant majesty, in divine glory.
HE'S more than all this...but wait!
Who IS that now, standing talking to Jesus? Is that Moses? The law-giver? The one who brought God's law to the people of God?
The revered one of our people to whom God appeared in a bush of flaming fire? Is Jesus there standing and talking like...an equal?...to Moses?!?
We listen…to Moses. People listen to Moses! The law came through Moses. He represents the Law, the giving of the Law to the Chosen People.
And who's that other guy? No! No way! Elijah, the prophet of God…the prophet who…demonstrated God's power, vanquishing the false gods with rain of fire? He represents all the prophets.
The guy who was so holy He never died but God took him up to heaven in a chariot of fire? Man what an impressive duo.
People have listened to both of them for ever. Alright! And HE'S there, with Moses...talking to Jesus? No way! What can this mean?
And Peter. Petulant, passionate person that he was. He figures... "Wow...look at the guys Jesus hangs with. I gotta DO something!" So he says to Jesus: "Lord...Jesus.
“This is great! So great!...I know. It's so good to be here! I'll make a tabernacle, a temple, a shelter for each of you! One for you, and then one for Moses and one for Elija..."
And Peter is interrupted by...yet more light. A brilliant, bright cloud envelopes Jesus and the others.
And then a voice rises from the cloud, that voice that had spoken to Moses in the burning bush and identified Himself as the I AM; that voice that had spoken to and through Elijah.
That voice rises from the cloud and as the 3 stand there chatting - as Jesus and Elijah and Moses stand there talking about the manner in which Jesus would depart, that voice proclaims of Jesus:
"This is my beloved Son, whom I love. With Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him".
And the three...Peter, James and John, fall on their faces, terrified.
I can imagine their conversation there on the ground. Trying to process this while it's still happening.
"Wait. What? Moses is here. The law-giver whose face shone coming down from the mountain with the tablets. I'm suppose to listen to...
He's huge in our world, they would have thought. We should listen to hi..."
The spectacle has passed. It's just the 3 of them and Jesus now. The law-giver and the prophet aren't there any more.
But Jesus remains. And He touches them. And He speaks to them, it would seem very gently. They don't know yet that the fireworks have ended.
"Get up," He said. "Don't be afraid". And they look and see...no one but Jesus. None but Jesus.
And they go down the mountain. Jesus tells them to tell no one what had happened until He has been raised from the dead.
They have shared an amazing experience.
Before they went up the mountain to their mountaintop experience, one of these three men knew that Jesus was the Messiah- knew it by faith, knew it by His experience of Jesus in real time, and knew it by revelation.
That was Peter to whom this truth had been revealed.
Two others had an idea. John, known as the disciple who Jesus loved, had a good window in to Who Jesus is. But now, now they all knew:
Jesus was God's Son. Should’ve rung a bell perhaps because God had said the exact same thing at Jesus’ baptism.
Moses was the one through whom God gave the Law. Elijah was the one prophet of all time.
But now that God had come in the flesh in Jesus Christ, they knew that everything and everyone else paled in comparison.
They knew their future was wrapped up in listening to Jesus, serving Jesus, loving Him and doing what He said to do...love others.
So...the question for all time. The most important philosophical question anyone has ever or will ever be asked.
The most practical question...practical simply because it is the most positively life-altering question anyone can answer.
What's the question? It's Jesus' simple question to His disciples. "Who...do...you...say...I...Am?
Now some might say that those who saw...of course they believed! They were blessed to be eyewitnesses of these momentous events. They didn't even really have a choice, did they?
Jesus had already in plain sight 1. Fed 1000’s of people 2. Cast out evil spirits 3. Healed the blind, deaf, injured and inform 4.Turned water into wine 5. Controlled nature 6. Done the miracle of way-too-much fish 7. Raised people from the dead
And then others who were direct witnesses to Jesus' irrefutable miracles chose to respond by determining, by plotting, to murder Him, to remove the problem of Jesus. To blot Him out of their lives so they could just get on with their lives as usual.
Sucks, eh? The choices we face. But for the disciples who witnessed the transfiguration, how could they refuse Him now?
And for the other followers of Jesus who also saw, or who heard the spoken testimony or eventually who read the written testimonies of the disciples – what we know as the gospels - how could they refuse Him now?
For me, I was an atheist who believed in nothing. Until one day I met some folks who lived differently and loved me differently than I'd ever been loved.
And they passed on to me the testimony of the disciples, the first-hand witnesses of Jesus life.
They pointed me to the Bible where I learned of Jesus' amazing grace and passionate love for me expressed in His willing journey to earth from heaven and then his willing but brutal journey to the cross.
And I was faced with the question, after hearing the gospel for the first time: “Can you refuse Him now?”
I had to face the testimony that the mighty Son of God came to earth, leaving behind His glory and awesome power, and came here to die for me! He loved me enough to do that.
So I’ll gladly spend my life trying to understand the love wrapped up in this gift to me and to you.
And I dared to trust, I dared to believe and to place my life in the hands of Jesus, to link my future to Jesus my King and to the people of God...His body here on planet earth.
And honestly, because the Spirit of God was at work in my life, because of His grace, because I recognized both my need and Jesus' powerful ability to meet that need, to fill that need, I couldn't refuse. I couldn't refuse Him. I couldn't turn my back on His love.
I learned that Jesus would never give up on me, either. I was safe. I was home. At last. At last.
And now, what about you? Jesus is here, actually, by His Spirit today. And He’s asking: “Who do you say I am?” There is no more important question you will ever consider.
No greater opportunity for a new life awaits you than in your answer, your answer that, like Peter’s affirms that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
So I encourage you to do today, now, what you need to do to start your relationship with Jesus.
The Scripture calls us to trust in Jesus, to believe the gospel - not just agreeing with the facts of the gospel - but to believe AND TO receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.
And the Scripture calls us to repent of our sins. Repeatedly we find in the Bible the call to repent of our sins - including first and foremost the sin of unbelief, of trusting in our own strength to deliver us. But also we must turn to God with a godly sorrow.
2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret
For me and for others of you who have followed Jesus for some time now, if we’ve become a little off balance,
if we’ve let our hearts and minds and spirits drift from that place of knowing and walking hand in hand with Jesus, we can come to Him now and say to our precious, peerless Jesus:
“You are my King. I renounce all other claims upon my spirit. I reaffirm my allegiance to You, O God. I confess with my lips: “Jesus Christ is my Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.
You know, The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:18-23
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
This same power that is at work in Jesus to raise Him from the dead is also in us. Are we living with the knowledge that we have access in Jesus to this power?
I was speaking with a dear brother a while back and he spoke of a broken relationship he has that though he recently gained some hope might be repaired, was disappointed only to find that nothing had really changed.
This led to a deep depression, even a sense of oppression and a heaviness and darkness that felt to him to be almost all consuming.
That depression discouraged him from calling on God, and so things just got worse and worse, even to the point of considering suicide.
Then in a desperate moment, he made the decision to call upon God, to confess his lack of trust, to confess to being pulled under by this sorrow that he was experiencing.
He then told me that immediately - not a week later, not a day later - not an hour later - right away he felt all the weight of that darkness lift from him, all the burden of that brokenness just come off him, so that he felt free to praise and worship God again, to experience joy again.
The situation hasn’t changed. There’s still plenty of work to be done in that relationship, but he came to remember that in his struggle he wasn’t alone - not even a little bit alone.
He came back to his joy in the Lord, and when I spoke with him, I never would have otherwise known that he had been through such a valley, because his countenance was light and beautiful and free.
And what about you, if you are one here today who has never said “Yes!” to Jesus. Today is your day.
The Scriptures don’t encourage us to put off to tomorrow what we have opportunity to do today.
In fact they say: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor 6:2
If you are ready even right now, why don’t you pray a simple prayer of beginnings in your walk of faith with me right now?
Prayer of Faith:
Jesus, I confess that I have sinned, and that I have a very great need for you in my life. I repent of my sins, my offenses against You, including the ways I have thought wrongly about you. I believe that you died for my sins, Lord Jesus. I believe that you gave your life for me on the cross. I now receive you as my Saviour and as the Lord of my Life.
By your power I will follow you all the days of my life. Help me to grow in my faith and to grow daily in my dependence and trust of you. In Jesus name. Amen.
If you prayed with me, please speak with me or Pastor Jonathan or Pastor Jan or Breda after the service. We want to encourage you in your walk with God.
And may we each consider how great a love with which we have been loved by Jesus. May we each take Jesus’ sacrifice VERY personally, even now as Pastor Jonathan leads us in communion.
