Acts 2:33-36

 

Acts 2:33-36

Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.  For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
  until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Peter concludes his brief message with a review of what He has just told everyone.  He has made it clear from both experience and Scripture that the testimony of the disciples was empowered by the Holy Spirit and that Jesus Christ is Lord.  He then lets them all know that they are responsible for having crucified Jesus.  Peter is preaching to inform them of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done.  However, he is also confronting the unbelief of the people and letting them know that they have crucified Messiah.

THE SON SENT THE SPIRIT: The Trinity is clearly in action on this day and in this message.  The Father promised the Son to send the Spirit to the disciples of Jesus.  The Father kept His promise and the Son has poured out the Spirit onto the disciples and the result is the multitudes from all the nations are hearing the Gospel in their own language.  Peter wants his hearers to understand that what is going on is the work of God and not some human endeavor.  God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, is the power that equips and motivates the followers of Jesus.  Specifically, He enables them to bear witness of the resurrection of Jesus.  This same Spirit abides in and empowers every believer today.  He is still working in the same way to do the same work, which is to proclaim the Gospel to people from all nations.  

THE FATHER EXALTED THE SON: The path to greatness is through humble and sacrificial service.  This truth seems counter-intuitive to all of us.  Jesus gave up the glories of heaven and the comfort of being spirit.  He took on flesh, became a man, was born into a humble family, was tempted beyond what any other man has ever experience, was rejected by His people, betrayed by a friend, abandoned by His followers, illegally tried, condemned, beaten, made fun of, and executed.  This, for a man who never sinned, loved others deeply, healed the sick, fed the hungry, graciously forgave, freed men of evil spirits and raised the dead.  Nothing about any of this makes any sense until we see Peter’s declaration that Jesus has been exalted by the Father.  He has taken His place at the right hand of the Father.  However, this is not His final position.  He is at the right hand of the Father “until” the Father makes all the enemies of Jesus bow down in worship before Him and establishes Jesus as the King over all and the eternally exalted one.  Peter wants to make sure that all his hearers know who Jesus is not only from his testimony but also from David’s declaration about Messiah.  Peter then inserts the knife and twists it by declaring that they had crucified Jesus whom the Father had exalted.  The long-awaited Messiah had come but they had not only missed it but had murdered Him.

APPLICATION: It is easy for us to forget who Jesus is and what He has done.  When the pressures of life get difficult, we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus is Lord.  He is firmly established on the throne and He has sent His Spirit to indwell all who believe.  One day all the enemies of Christ will be put under His feet and they all will bow before Him.  One day all that is wrong in this world will be made right.  Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit are the only hope for this world.  We must join our voices with Peter’s and proclaim this truth in all nations and to the ends of the earth.

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