#DailyDevotion The Father Declared Jesus LORD & Christ
Acts 229Fellow Jews, I can tell you frankly our ancestor David died and was buried, and his grave is here to this day. 30He was a prophet and knew God had sworn to him to put one of his descendants on his throne. 31David saw what was ahead and said the Christ would rise again: He was not deserted when He was dead, and His body did not experience decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus — we’re all witnesses of that. 33Lifted up to God’s right hand and receiving from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, He has poured out what you see and hear. 34David didn’t go up to heaven, but he says: ‘The Lord says to my Lord, “Sit at My right 35until I make Your enemies Your footstool.” 36“Then all the people of Israel should know it’s true that God made Him Lord and Christ — this Jesus Whom you crucified.”
David, no matter how great a king he was and no matter how close to the LORD he was dead and buried. They could even point to his grave. While it is totally natural for David as a normal human being to be in the grave it still may jarring that your best and brightest was in the grave. However, David being a prophet foretold that the Christ would rise again. God indeed had raised this Jesus. The Jesus Peter said God planned to kill, the Jesus whom the crowd called to be crucified at the hands of sinful men. God had raised him from the dead. The apostles were witnesses of this. Unlike Lazarus or David, Jesus’ body did not experience decay. Five hundred disciples were witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection.
Not only that, but God had raise Jesus, lifted his body up to his right hand. In modern parlance, Jesus is brought to the position of God’s right hand man. He is exalted in his body to the position of all authority, power, honor and glory as the Father. David did not go up into heaven but prophesied concerning his seed Jesus, “Sit at My right 35until I make Your enemies Your footstool.” This is so the prophecy concerning him in Daniel would come to pass, 713“In the visions during the night I saw One coming with the clouds of the heavens like the Son of Man, and He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. 14And He was given glory, power to rule, and a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations, and those of every language should serve Him. His authority is everlasting and will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.” Jesus is the Son of God. The Father declared him LORD and Christ but raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand. Jesus is equal to the Father concerning his divinity and exercises his divine power and authority now through his flesh.
The Good News in this is Jesus invites us to join him where he is. He intends to exalt us to his position. Jesus says in John 143“I’ll come again and take you home with Me so you’ll be where I am.” Paul says in Eph. 26 “He raised us with Him and had us sit with Him in heaven.” Daniel also writes in chapter 7, 27 “And the kingdom, along with the power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High God. Their kingdom is everlasting, and all other authorities will serve and obey them.” Those who have been united with Christ in baptism, who have faith in Christ, have received the promised Holy Spirit. Having the Spirit, they are given everything that is Christ Jesus’ by right by grace. What becomes Jesus’ in his flesh he gives and shares with those who are one with him in the Spirit.
Almighty and merciful Father, you raised your Son Jesus Christ and seated him with you at your right hand to declare both LORD and Christ. Jesus has poured out his Spirit upon us that we may be made one with him in Spirit and receive in our flesh all that you have worked in Christ. Keep us always in this faith that we may received this at Jesus’ revelation to all flesh. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.