Saturday, October 15, 2011

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 76

The Advent Part 68

Acts 2:34-35, “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’”

David did not ascend into the heavens, but Christ Jesus did, and His followers, spiritually speaking are already sitting together in Him, in the heavenly places.

David could not ascend into the heavens because the way therein was shut until the moment Jesus Christ the risen ascended into the heavens. It is Christ who reconciled us unto the Father, it is Christ who is the way into the Kingdom of heaven, and no man can enter unless they are likewise in Christ.

Because Christ became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross, He is now exalted above all others, and as David prophesies now sits at the right hand of God.

Philippians 2:8-11, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

From the moment that Jesus receives the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, which He then pours out upon His disciples on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit began the work of building up the congregation of God, the Body of Christ, and Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Yes, spiritually speaking He is with all His disciples, even to the end of the age, and through the Holy Spirit is able to comfort and encourage, rebuke and edify.

Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We know that Jesus ascended into heaven, because this event was witnessed by the disciples, and they testified of it time and again. Now if Jesus ascended into heaven, and as some assert the Holy Spirit is likewise no longer among us, then what Jesus said concerning being with us always, even to the end of the age would no longer be true.

We know that Jesus doesn’t lie; we know that He is the embodiment of truth, and that there is no shadow of turning in Him. If He said that He would be with us always, even to the end of the age then He meant it, He keeps His word, and does as He promises. The only way that Jesus could be with us always, even to the end of the age, is for the Holy Spirit to still be among us, doing the work that Jesus intended Him to do once the Father gave it to Him.

It’s easy to nonchalantly wave a hand and roll our eyes and say ‘God doesn’t do that anymore, and the Holy Spirit is no longer among us’ but once we begin to dig a little deeper and see what our assertions imply, once we begin to see that by denying the presence of the Holy Spirit with us and in us today we are in essence calling Jesus a liar, it becomes allot more difficult to just broad stroke everything, and be so passé in our proclamations.

After telling Jesus to sit at His right hand, God also promised that He would make His enemies His footstool. In fact God said Jesus was to sit at His right hand until this came to pass.

Jesus has always had and continues to have enemies. There is no shortage of enemies when it comes to Jesus, and by extension, His bride, His Body, likewise has an abundance of enemies. If we are one with Christ, then our enemies are His enemies, and the day is coming when those enemies will be made His footstool.

I’ve been thinking about this lately, and I’ve come to the conclusion that God the Father does not have as many enemies as Christ the Son.

If someone speaks of God as Creator of heaven and earth, there may be some reaction, but often times it is muted and lacking in vitriol. If we speak of Jesus however as the Redeemer of those who were dead in their sins, as Lord and King and the Groom who is to come, the reaction is fierce, the vitriol palpable, and the intensity with which the attacks come are often frightening to behold.

The God, who is a God of perfect love, is also a God of perfect justice, and He will make the enemies of His Son Jesus His footstool. Knowing that there will come a day when the enemies of the cross and the enemies of Christ will be made His footstool, knowing that there will come a day when perfect justice will reign supreme, we do not fear the slings and arrows of the enemy, we do not fear the vitriol and hatred of those who despise our Master, but with courage and boldness proclaim His holy name.

We have but one life to lose, and the absolute worst that the enemies of Christ can do is kill this mortal flesh. Throughout history we have seen shining examples of those who willingly lay down their lives for the cause of Christ, those who went to their deaths with songs upon their lips because they knew what awaited them, because they knew they would receive their just reward for their obedience and faithfulness. If the day comes may we be as faithful, may we be as obedient, and may we be as steadfast as those who came before us.

Romans 16:20, “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

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