My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day. But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption. God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you both see and hear. For David did not go up into heaven, but he himself said: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ Therefore, let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
The redemptive work of God is so much bigger than our short life span. Here Luke jumps back to the promises God made to David and how they were fulfilled in the coming of Israel’s Messiah, Jesus Himself. God’s Word is transcendent and surpasses the sinful, brokenness of our world. The more chaotic life becomes the more our individual world tends to shrink as we seek to find refuge from that which we do not always understand and certainly from circumstances we do not control. How comforting to discover that God is not rattled by our toxic world; how reassuring that God is not derailed by our problems. What a profound relief that His plans or purpose is not undermined by evil. He is the infinite and transcendent God who controls the outcome of His promises. As we step into a New Year, we can live with the confidence that His fingerprints are on our lives, and He carries us through this short stay here on earth.
God’s promises are more powerful than even death. The resurrection is the irrefutable seal of authenticity of the veracity of Christianity. It is unswervingly anchored in the God-Man, Jesus. His person and work transcends the finite reality of our limited perception and triumphs over our greatest and irreconcilable problem of sin. Only God could do this, and if God were limited to our ability to understand the “how” He does anything, then He would not be God. We would rightly expect that God must have capacities that transcend our circumstances or our ability to understand. Living in a world where people break promises all the time, and we fail to keep our promises, we become skeptical. But praise the Lord that His promises will never fail and cannot be undermined by anything or anyone.
God brings the good even out of evil things. This Jesus whom you crucified, God has made Him both Lord and Messiah (Christ). Crucifixion would appear to be the worst kind of evil. It ended Christ’s human journey and eliminated His cause or so it might appear. Resurrection is God’s response to this evil and He exalts His Son to a position over all creation. This is the glorious and apparent paradox of the gospel. The death and resurrection of Christ satisfies the wrath of God and allows us to step into a familial relationship with Him. Could there be any better message of hope as we step into 2023? This is our anchor in a turbulent world. Christ is the rock that we build our lives on and regardless of the storm, He holds us firm.
In His grace
Pastor Brad
