Reflecting The Majesty Of The Savior

REFLECTING THE MAJESTY OF THE SAVIOR

ACTS 7:51-60

(3-1-23)

The Gospels tell the wonderful story of how Jesus Christ, the Son of God left Heaven and came to earth to redeem fallen man. The story begins with the promise of His virgin birth and reveals how this prophecy was fulfilled in a little town called Bethlehem. We are told of the majestic events that took place upon His arrival; shepherds worshipped, the Magi presented gifts, the Host of Heaven praised God, Simeon and Anna rejoiced and many others marveled.

Later we see Jesus as a twelve year old boy in the Temple discussing the scriptures with the teachers. After this there is a period of silence concerning the life of God’s Son; all we are told is that He went to Nazareth with Mary & Joseph and “continued in subjection to them”. (Luke 2:52)

The next time we see Jesus is when John the Baptist proclaimed "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29). Shortly thereafter Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan, “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:16-17)

Immediately after His baptism Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where He remained for 40 days. Time does not permit us to cover everything that happened once Jesus came out of the wilderness and commenced His earthly ministry. However, the Lord Himself provides a great summary in Luke 7:22 when He says “the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.”

For some three and a half years Jesus Christ walked the earth performing many miracles and preaching about the Kingdom of God. During this time He ministered to thousands, transformed many lives and saved countless souls. Then when His hour had come He began to make His way to Jerusalem. Upon his arrival He was worshiped by multitudes and then rejected by many of the same. In time He was betrayed by one of His own, denied by a close friend and abandoned by His Apostles. He was arrested by an angry mob and taken before the authorities. There He was falsely tried, convicted and sentenced to die. He was stripped, mocked, beaten, scourged and ultimately crucified. After His death His body was taken from the Cross, wrapped in grave clothes and placed in a borrowed tomb. Three days later He victoriously rose from the grave to live forevermore.

After His resurrection Jesus spent some 40 days with His disciples teaching and preparing them for the work He would use them to accomplish after His ascension. Then one day at the Mount of Olives Jesus spoke some final words to His most faithful followers He said “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). After delivering these final instructions to His servants Jesus ascended to Heaven. Acts 1:9 says “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”

Though Jesus vanished from the sight of the Disciples we are not left to ponder what happened next. Numerous scriptures reveal the fact that when Jesus ascended He sat down at the right hand of the Father. The writer of Hebrews says that (Jesus) “Who being the brightness of (God’s) glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high”. (Hebrews 1:3)

It is important to note that when Jesus was glorified He “sat down”. The reason that He sat down is because His work of redemption was complete. In the present our Lord and King is seated on His throne at the Father’s right hand; this will continue until the time when He returns in great power and glory.

In the first 7 chapters of Acts Jesus is not seen in visible form. However, His presence is apparent on every page. He is seen in the many miracles and the mighty power that has been displayed in the lives of His Apostles. Each chapter is saturated with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Moreover the power of the Holy Spirit is evident throughout. We witness the Spirit’s power at Pentecost when three thousand men came to faith in Christ. We witness His power in the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful gate. His power is seen in the multitude of people who surrendered to Jesus after hearing Peter’s sermon at Solomon’s Colonnade. The Holy Spirit’s influence is evident in the boldness of the Apostles as they suffered persecution at the hands of the Sanhedrin. His great power is seen in the rapid and decisive judgment of Ananias and Sapphira. The work of the Holy Spirit was revealed in the decision of the Apostles to select seven men to serve the Church. Moreover He was the one who indwelt and empowered those men who were chosen. It was the Spirit of God who empowered and emboldened Stephen to preach the amazing sermon that is recorded in Acts 7.