The Exaltation of Christ – Acts 2:33-36

Kootenai Church

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All right, we should be back up and running now so the reason we had to stop the podcast or stop the broadcast and restarted again is because of the

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The description in the broadcast that gets put out to the entire twitch community so it's not just our church family, but the entire twitch community gets a notification of what we're doing and if we if we're

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Broadcasting to everybody that we're doing a Q &A then we have people come in and join the stream who are not necessarily part of our church

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And they come in thinking it's a Q &A rather than the morning Sunday sermon. So they're expecting to put

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Basically all the same parameters for Sunday school We're coming into the church service and people then would be encouraged to put questions into the chat.

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And that's not what we wanted. So Peter's apologies to everybody Okay, so I think that we are

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Done with that. Oh someone someone asked and I'll just I'll update this real quick while we're waiting for other people to finally come in and join the stream again

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If you had to drop out for some reason Could You get wretched to endorse or give an advertisement for your books

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No, I'm not an advertisement You have to pay him for that, but Todd has mentioned it on the broadcast a couple of times truth or territory mostly because he

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Got a package in the mail from Justin Justin sent him all three of the books and so he opened it on the air and on the video podcast as well and and talked

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About him briefly for five minutes or something like that, but there was no spike in sales Alright Somebody asked about when are we gonna have church back up and open and what will be the parameters for that?

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As far as I'm concerned once we open up We'll be diligent to keep things clean and try and avoid infection and stuff like that if that's still a danger, but we would just open up as normal and it would be just being a normal worship service and I'm expecting that the way

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Idaho is going that by the end of April that the governor will Lift the stay -at -home order and we will join that And we will go along with that So that has been the that has been the thing that prohibits us in terms of we don't want to we don't want to be violating that law at this time

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Under these parameters. So we're we're abiding by that and out of deference to Authorities and of deference to other people in our community, etc

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We are choosing to do it the way that we're doing it. But basically if the governor lifts that stay -at -home order

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We will go right back to services as normal Everybody welcome and everybody coming and we just probably won't shake hands for a couple of weeks

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So or nor will we greet one another with a holy kiss? So those are the parameters that will cause us to open back up All right,

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I see All right,

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I've got to turn off the chat here because this would be way too distracting For me as I look at the screen and I see people still still joining us and dropping in so glad you're here

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Glad you joined us So a couple quick announcements before we take a look at our passage for this morning

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Number one. This is probably going to be How we're gonna do things next Sunday as well unless things radically change we will plan on adult

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Sunday school class I'm not sure what we'll do yet just for that could do another Q &A. There was a lot of questions I might do something on we had some questions about Women and roles of women or something.

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I could do something like that. Maybe a Sunday school on that or One of the other elders wanted to take this time

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They could do that as well And if not, then we'll just figure out throughout the course of the week what we want to do for adult

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Sunday school class but then we'll plan on doing a normal service streaming service like what we're gonna do now for church next week and Barring any kind of end -of -the -world scenario

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Lord willing we will be back up and here having normal services On the first Sunday in May, which will be

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May The third and on May the 10th in case you don't get the weekly update on May the 10th

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We're gonna have a belated resurrection morning breakfast So we're gonna do what we normally do for a resurrection

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Sunday morning We'll have breakfast in lieu of Sunday school on May the 10th And we will have ham and eggs and juice and coffee and a time of fellowship during the

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Sunday school hour so watch the weekly update for that as well as Facebook page post that Josh will put out with details and We'll announce more of that on the

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Sunday prior if you would like to If you would like to contribute to that usually the men do all of the work in setting up and cooking and then cleaning up and So if you'd like to contribute to that in providing the food the ham or just money towards the purchase of the food for that breakfast

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Contact Thomas Thomas is sort of running point on that and putting that all together and arranging the the workers and the volunteers, etc

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So contact Thomas Oh Man a podcast with Q &A with me

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We ran out of questions today after only 40 minutes So I'm not sure how many weeks a podcast like that would go and if you have needs in our church body

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Remember, you can email deacons at Kootenay church org de a co n s at Kootenay church dot org and that gets forwarded to one of the deacons and They're running point in terms of meeting people's needs and helping with things.

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We had Have had some needs arise and it's good that people in the church are probably already meeting those needs even without having to email that If you are doing something you want to make something available like a

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Costco run or a skill or a supply or something like that You can post it to the Kootenay Church activity page and on Facebook It's a good place for Kind of a clearinghouse for people's offers to help and if you have a need then email the deacons and it will be kept

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Kept kind of quiet So, I think that that's it

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I have as far as announcements, I Think that's it

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And I'll hang out here and take any questions in the chat or watch your comments in the chat, though I'm not going to be watching that just now because or while I'm doing this because it's far too distracting

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So I'll hang out for a little bit after the sermon today and the kids the word of the day today is exaltation exaltation

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And about the buckets of candy people have asked for some clarification on this It might not be buckets.

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It might be a duffel bag at the church. They keep the candy in a duffel bag So if you're running out of options to look for buckets

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Look for duffel bags, and maybe your parents are keeping the hordes of candy in a duffel bag somewhere.

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All right exaltation and On behalf of all parents of the church

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I protest We have a protester about Where do you what do you store in buckets or duffel bags?

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He doesn't want to answer Yeah, he keeps it in a backpack. Check the backpacks luggage all options

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Yeah, I know Yeah, it is on Mother's Day, but it's not a Mother's Day breakfast.

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It's a belated resurrection Sunday morning breakfast So that's why that's what we're doing that morning all right, our passage for this morning is

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Acts chapter 2 and We're going to be going back to the passage that we looked at last week and the week prior to that the reason being is

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I kind of felt like it was necessary to sort of round out our understanding of that passage because we dealt with the death of Christ being predestined and how that fulfilled prophecy and And how

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God predestined that for his glory and for our good and Then we talked about the resurrection and again, of course how

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God used that and how that was for His glory and for our good and fulfilled prophecy and a guarantee of judgment.

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We looked at that and then in last week's message I Did mention that the exaltation of Christ is something that we very commonly overlook

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If not in our thinking then most certainly we overlook it in our presentation to other people about What Christ has done and his work and his exaltation is just a part of what

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God has just as much a part of what? God is predestined to occur and it is a fulfillment of prophecy and it is something that is very central to our understanding of who

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Christ is and what he has done so I Mentioned it just briefly last week in connection with the fact that God has guaranteed our judgment and how the exaltation of Christ demonstrates that So I wanted to look at that a little bit more detail today

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To kind of round out that whole that whole message from Acts chapter 2. So this is a truth

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I think the resurrection of Christ that can be very encouraging to us especially at a time like this as we think about Christ being risen from the dead and being exalted to the

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Father's right hand and just what type of authority and Power that means that he has and it's something

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I think as Christians We need to reflect upon oftentimes in our presentation of the gospel. We'll say to an unbeliever

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Christ died for sinners and Then he rose again, and if you will repent and believe you can have eternal life and all of that is very true

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But sometimes we skip over and I think often Unintentionally the exaltation of Christ and Peter does not do that in his in his

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Pentecost sermon So we're gonna read together verse chapter 2 of Acts and we'll read

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Verse 22 and we'll read through all the way through the end of verse 36 for a time this morning acts 2 verse 22 men of Israel Again set the context

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Pentecost Sunday. Peter has just begun to explain that the phenomenon that they're seeing the pouring out of the

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Spirit and the gift of tongues was a partial fulfillment of what was spoken by Joel the prophet in Joel chapter 2 and That the outpouring of the

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Spirit was something that should have been anticipated It was something that they were then experiencing though not all the elements of Joel 2 were fulfilled on the day of Pentecost the moon turning to blood and the sky turning red and The signs in the heavens, etc

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Those did not happen nor the dreaming of dreams and visions, etc That didn't happen on the day of Pentecost, but the pouring out of the

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Spirit that Joel mentions that did happen so Peter cites that all the way up through the end of verse 21 and Concludes by saying anyone who calls on the name of the

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Lord shall be saved and then his point which you'll see it down in Verse 36 is to prove to those who are listening that the

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Lord whom they were to call upon was Jesus he is the Yahweh on whom they were to call if they were to be saved and to make that point

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Peter then describes the death of Christ as being predestined the Resurrection of Christ as being a fulfillment of prophecy and the exaltation of Christ also as being a fulfillment of prophecy

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So that takes us to verse 22 where he begins to speak of the death of Christ Men of Israel listen to these words

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Jesus the Nazarene a man attested to you by God with miracles and Wonders and signs which

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God performed through him in your midst Just as you yourselves know this man delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God You nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put him to death

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But God raised him up again putting an end to the agony of death since it was impossible For him to be held in his power for David says of him

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I Saw the Lord always in my presence for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken

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Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exalted moreover My flesh also will live in hope because you will not abandon my soul to Hades nor allow your

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Holy One to undergo decay You have made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence

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Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried and his tomb is with us to this day and So because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne

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God looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ that he was neither abandoned to Haiti nor did his flesh suffer decay

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This Jesus God raised up again to which we are all witnesses Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the

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Father the promise of the Holy Spirit He has poured forth this which you both see and hear for it was not

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David who ascended into heaven But he himself says the Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet

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Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ this

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Jesus whom you crucified So our focus this morning is the verses 33 through verse 36 in verses 22 to 24

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Actually verse 22 to 23 Peter speaks of the crucifixion of Christ and the death of Christ being something that fulfilled

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Old Testament prophecy something predestined by God for our good for his glory for God's glory and Then in verses 24 through 34.

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Sorry 33 No, verse 32 in verses 24 through 32

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Peter describes the resurrection of Christ being a fulfillment of psalm 16 and we looked at that last week and now today we're looking at verses 33 through 36, which describes some of the implications and Applications of this doctrine of the exaltation of Christ.

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So first 33 through 36 is our text In Peter's Pentecost sermon.

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He charged his hearers with a crime namely Putting to death the

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Son of God in verse 23 you nailed him to a cross and put him to death verse 36 at the end of the sermon, he kind of brings together what he mentioned at the beginning the

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Predestined death of the Messiah He brings that together with the fact that God has exalted him to his right hand and he says in verse 36

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God has made him both Lord and Christ this Jesus whom you crucified you crucified and God has exalted him Of course, the resurrection is right in between that you crucified him and God has exalted him so in verse 36 he sort of brings all of that together sort of tying together all of the elements of that sermon and Peter's main point is to Demonstrate to his readers or his listeners

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That they were responsible for crucifying the Son of God They were responsible for this great crime and he wants them to know that even those who crucified the

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Son of God and called for His blood and put him to death at the hands of godless men Even those men could be forgiven of their high crimes and misdemeanors their sins against God They're they're horrible transgressions if they would call out upon the one the very one whom they had crucified

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Namely Jesus who died rose again and is exalted to the Father's right hand Now the whole of course context for the exaltation of Christ Is given to us earlier in the book of Acts back in chapter 1 where Peter?

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Sorry, Luke first describes to us the the ascension of Jesus. So after his Crucifixion three days later.

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He rose again after the resurrection he presented himself alive to them for 40 days with Many convincing proofs demonstrating that he was the

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Christ and he sat and taught with them of course Obviously demonstrating as he did on the road to the road to Emmaus that all of the things that were spoken of him in the

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Old Testament scriptures had to come to pass After that 40 days of him meeting with the disciples and eating with them and fellowshipping with them and teaching them

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He ascended to the he ascended back to heaven where he came from in Luke chapter 24

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Luke describes this at the end of his gospel in Luke 24 verses 50 and 51 where he says

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Christ led them out as far as Bethany and lifted up his hands and blessed them while he was blessing them He departed from them and was carried up into heaven now there at the end of Luke Luke just mentions it briefly

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But then in the book of Acts, he gives a little bit more detail describing how This happened after the 40 days and he can presented himself alive with many

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Convincing proofs in Acts chapter 1 verses 9 to 11 Luke writes this and after he had said these things he was lifted up while they were looking on and a cloud received him out

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Of their sight and as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was going behold two men in white

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Clothing stood beside them. They also said men of Galilee Why do you stand looking into the sky this

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Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven? Will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven

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So that's the description of the ascension of Christ by Luke and the end of his gospel and of Acts This is from the earthly perspective the only visible manifestation of the exaltation of Christ Think of it this way the disciples could not have seen with apart from supernatural revelation revision

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Which is not recorded in Scripture They would not have been able to see Jesus take the his Position at the right hand of the father all that they would have seen was after spending 40 days with him being taught by him and Witnessing his resurrection

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His resurrection body all that they would have seen was him ascending from earth to heaven

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In a cloud taken up in the clouds They would have seen that but they would not have seen him take his position at the father's right hand

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They would have deduced from the Old Testament Scripture Psalm 110 namely which you see

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Peter Quote that in verses 34 and 35. He cites Psalm 110 They would have deduced that the

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Messiah having ascended from earth to heaven Would then take his seat at the father's right hand in fulfillment of Psalm 110

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So that the exaltation of Christ then is also a fulfillment of Scripture his death on the cross fulfilled

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Scripture his resurrection from the dead fulfilled Scripture namely Psalm 16 which Peter quotes here in Acts chapter 2 and his exaltation would have fulfilled

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Scripture namely Psalm 110 which has been Part of a lot a lot large part of our focus in the book of Hebrews So they would have seen him lifted up in a body

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So we would then be able to affirm the bodily resurrection of Christ as well as his bodily ascension

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He was taken up and he didn't just merely Disappear out of their sight which he had done on previous occasions

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You remember that this was a visible bodily ascension from heaven or from earth into heaven in the clouds

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And eventually he would have disappeared from their sight and I can imagine that they were gazing up They had not seen anything like this now.

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They had seen previously in his resurrected state. They had seen Jesus Disappear from their sight.

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Do you remember on on the road to Emmaus after Jesus spent that time? Walking and talking with the disciples his who his identity being veiled from their sight

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He sat down in the breaking of bread It was made known to them who they were talking with and as soon as they perceived that with whom they were speaking

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Realizing it was the resurrected Lord. He disappeared out of their sight He also had the ability to appear in their sight as he did in the room

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That was locked that evening later that evening on the first Resurrection Sunday. He appeared to them behind locked doors and And then he had so they had the ability to appear and to disappear

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But the ascension does not him just disappearing or vanishing from their sight It was some sort of a and it wasn't just a cessation of appearances either

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It wasn't just him no longer appearing to them They had met him appeared to him on on he appeared on these various earlier occasions and then suddenly he stops appearing

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That's not what the ascension was The ascension was him appearing and being with them and then him being taken bodily up into heaven

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So Jesus Christ in his resurrected body ascended from earth into heaven and in his resurrected body

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He sits at the father's right hand and in his resurrected body He makes intercession for those who are his people and so people ask is

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Jesus in a body now or other bodies in heaven Well, we know that there are at least at least one body in heaven a glorified body and that's the body of the

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Lord Jesus Christ he He has his current session in heaven

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Seated at the father's right hand in the glorified body that he had here on earth in which he appeared to the disciples

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The same glorified body that was resurrected from the dead So in his ascension, he is exalted to the father's right hand in a glorified human body

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And so that that would have fulfilled then Psalm 110 Where Peter cites that the

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Lord said to my Lord sit on my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet Now that's not something that they would have physically seen apart again from a vision or divine revelation not recorded in Scripture But it is something that having watched him ascend from earth to heaven and being caught up together in the clouds

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They would have Or him being caught up into the clouds not together It's language from another passage

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But him being caught up into the clouds There's something that they would have deduced is that him having ascended from earth to heaven

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He has taken his seat at the father's right hand in fulfillment of Psalm 110 So what it was what does this mean then?

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What is his exaltation mean? What is what does the what is the significance of the exaltation of Christ? One of the significances of it is that?

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It says something about his vindication the exaltation of Christ is his vindication that he

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Sits and shares his father's throne and he is even now at the father's right hand, which is a position of power and honor

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Position that is shared by no other and this is the vindication of Christ and it was Essential that he be vindicated in this way simply because of the way in which he died now remember he died the death of a common

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Criminal he died under a curse hanging on a Roman cross and Scripture says that curse

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It is everyone who dies on a tree. That's the book of Deuteronomy and so Jesus dying under that curse as a public old public display of of sin and being under that curse of Dying in a very humiliating fashion

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That would say something about what men how men assessed the Lord Jesus Christ and his claims

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For him then to be taken up into heaven and seated at the father's right hand would be his vindication

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From the father's perspective of exactly who he is and whether or not his death was just he claimed

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He was charged he was executed for the charge of blasphemy they said he declares himself to be the

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Son of God and This makes himself equal with God and in declaring himself to be the

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Son of God and in declaring himself then to be equal with God men were forced to one of two conclusions either what he said was true or what he said was false and If he claimed to be

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God and that was a lie, then he deserved the death that he received But if he claimed to be

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God and he was in fact God and he suffered and died that death then he must have died that death on behalf of others and His exaltation to the father's right hand is the father's vindication that the father has approved of him that the death that he died was not for his own sins and the death that he died was not because Their claim that he was committing blasphemy was right and just it wasn't a just claim

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It wasn't a just charge against him He declared himself to be the Son of God and then he suffered and died on a cross and God's exaltation of him to his right hand vindicates him and Vindicates his claim and who he was it reveals

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God's assessment of him that he was not a criminal That he was not a blasphemer. He was not a lawbreaker.

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He was not a violent man In fact, he was the holy righteous just innocent pure blameless spotless and undefiled

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Lamb of God the father's exaltation of him to his right hand is a vindication of that truth

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For who else could take that place at the father's right hand other than one who is? Innocent and pure and holy and sinless and spotless.

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Nobody else could take that place And so the exaltation of Christ means that all the assessments of men concerning the

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Lord Jesus Christ are for naught that only what matters is the father's assessment of him and the father has seated him at his right hand and I would just remind you there's there's something here

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There's something here that we should be reminded of as well And that is that all of the world's assessments of us are also just as meaningful as their assessments of the

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Lord Jesus Christ often we we worry that The world thinks horribly of us as Christians or the world doesn't like our stand on certain moral issues or interpretation of Scripture or our

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Belief that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven and The world is hating us as Christians more and more

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It can never hate us as much as it hated the Lord of Glory the Holy One It can only hate us because it first hated him and the world can only hate us because it hates him and because we stand for the same things that he stands for and That we affirm him and it can only hate us because it can't hate him

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If he were here it would hate him As much as it hated him when he walked here in this world

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But since it can't it can only hate the next best thing which is those who represent him And so I would just remind you that the assessment of the world should mean as much to us as it meant to Jesus and that Is nothing it should mean nothing it ultimately matters not what the world thinks of us what matters is what the father thinks of us as someone aptly said if If we can know for certain that the king loves us and that the king is

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Pleased with us that what does it matter what the peasants say? why should we care about what the world says or what other people says as long as we know that we are approved up by The king and beloved by the king

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It doesn't matter what the peasants say and so it is with the Lord Jesus Christ if the father's assessment of him is

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Take your seat at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for his feet Then all of the vitriol and hatred of the world means nothing let the nation's rage as Psalm 2 says the nations are in an uproar and the people devise a vain thing the

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Kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying let us tear their

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Fetters apart. Let us let us cast their cords away from us and he who sits in the heavens laughs

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He scoffs at them and he says he will speak to them and terrify them in his anger The Lord says as for me

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I have installed my king upon Zion my holy mountain and I will tell the decree of the Lord And God's assessment of the

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Lord Jesus Christ is I have installed my king So let the nation's rage and for us as believers. We should be reminded the same thing It doesn't matter what unbelievers say of us

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We can say to them you do homage to the son that he not be angry with you and you perish in the way Psalm 2 verse 12 for his wrath will soon be kindled but blessed all those who take refuge in him

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So the exaltation of Christ then is the father's vindications of his claims That he who claimed to share the divine nature and be one with the divine

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Nature and with the father to be able to forgive sins and to judge the world and to give life

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These are all the claims that Jesus made of himself He claimed to be able to forgive sins to give life to lay down his life to take it up again to give life to Other people to resurrect people from the dead.

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He claimed to be the Lord of life. He demonstrated it Lord of Lord over the the underworld and the demonic realm by being able to cast out demons and first bind the straw man

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Jesus demonstrated his power and authority in all of those ways and the father's exaltation of him

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To his right hand is a vindication that everything Jesus claimed concerning himself is true

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It's also a vindication of Jesus's works Because he was charged with doing all of his miracles by the power of Beelzebub But the father would never exalt

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Beelzebub to his right hand But he has exalted Christ to his right hand and therefore Jesus did not do his miracles by the power of of Satan It's also a vindication of Jesus's sinfulness and his claim to sinfulness

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He claimed to be free from sin saying at one point who of you charges me with wrongdoing? Who of you can charge me with sin?

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And the fact that the father's exalted him to his right hand is a vindication that Jesus's claim to sinfulness That John the

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Baptist claimed concerning him that he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sinless a sin of the world that He is the spotless one the pure lamb of God that that in fact was true

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It's also a vindication of Jesus's own predictions He predicted his own death and resurrection the father exalting him to his right hand is a vindication.

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He was a true prophet It's also a vindication of his teachings all of Jesus's moral demands all of his moral teachings concerning marriage concerning human sexuality

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Consuming purity and assuming the concerning the keeping of the law and the violating of God's law and his ability to interpret

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And to apply all the Old Testament the father's vindication The father's exaltation of him is the father's vindication that everything

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Jesus taught was indeed true And it is a vindication of Jesus's death that his death was not for his own sin

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But fact he died under the curse For those whom he would say for those who were his that he died for his sheep that he died for his bride his people

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For us as his people and the father's exaltation of him is a vindication that his death was not for his own crimes

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But for the sins of others namely us and in that humiliation in his death. He earned that exaltation

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This is why if you remember Philippians chapter 2 where where Paul describes the the Lord Jesus Christ Stooping down and making himself nothing and caming and coming and taking upon himself the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a

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Humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross Paul says for this reason because he left heaven

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Though he existed in the form the very image of God himself and shared that divine nature

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Though he left heaven and emptied himself of all of the independent use of all of his divine attributes Not emptying himself of his deity or of his divine nature or even of his divine power but veiling his divine nature in human flesh and Emptying himself of the independent use of those attributes and veiling all of that in human flesh he came and took upon himself a status of a servant and he came in the likeness of men and Humbled himself to become obedient to the point of death even death on the cross for that reason because he went from that The highest position to the lowest death and act of service possible imaginable

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For that reason Paul says God has exalted him and given him the name which is above every name So at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess to Jesus Christ the

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Lord to the glory of God The Father that's Philippians 2 verses 9 through 11. It's for that reason for his humbling act

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That God has exalted him So the cross though a stumbling block to Jews because they could never conceive that their

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Messiah would die on a cross Under the curse of God at the hands of Gentiles They could never conceive of that so that the message of Christ crucified to them is a stumbling block

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His exaltation is the very thing that vindicates him and demonstrates that his death -pleased

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God His resurrection secured our righteousness and our justification and that he offered an acceptable sacrifice on behalf of his people

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Christ exaltation to the father's right hand is an evidence that his sacrifice that atones for us

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Is effective that it that it is efficacious that it is satisfied the wrath of God and has secured everlastingly the salvation of all who trust in him the exaltation of Christ vindicates him and Establishes his work on behalf of his people as something that has not only atoned for sin that it has done it efficaciously and finally and forever

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Second it's not only his vindication, but also his victory. He has taken an exalted position like Philippians 2 says

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Exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name It is his victory in that he has received a name as much better than the angels

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Having inherited a more an excellent name than they why because he has taken having once How does

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Hebrews chapter 1 said having once offered to sacrifice for sin? He has taken his seat at the right hand of the majesty on high first Peter 3 22 says he is at the right hand of God having gone into heaven after Angels and authorities and powers have been subjected to him

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He is ascended to heaven and now everything has been subjected to him and he has taken that seat and now he is in a position of power and authority over all of creation

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Jesus said All authority in heaven earth has been given to me why because he sits at the father's right hand

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So the father has gladly bestowed upon the son all authority So he has the authority now to to raise the dead

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He has authority now over all things over angels over principalities or powers over the demonic realm

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All of it is under his sovereign authority There is no Molecule in all of the universe that does not obey his every command

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Every last bit of authority is his it is his to delegate it is his to give it is his to exercise and so it is his exaltation is his victory over all things and this is a

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His victory isn't that his exalted position is something that? Jesus as the

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God -man would have never known or experienced until after his ascension And this is something that is that is kind of curious to consider that Jesus when he was here on earth in John chapter 17 verse 5

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He prayed he said a father glorify me together with the with yourself with the glory Which I had with you before the world was

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Jesus the God -man was aware of a glory that he shared in his divine essence with the father before the world was ever created but the that position of exaltation and that glory was not something that Jesus the

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God -man had ever experienced prior to his ascension as all as exaltation The Divine Son the logos the one who existed with the father before all things

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He would have enjoyed that position of glory and that position of preeminence and exaltation but Jesus Christ never did until he was ascended to the father's right hand and taken up into heaven and exalted to that position and given that position that Taking of that position is something that would have been unique or new to the

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God -man Though it was not new to the logos the divine essence and that's something that's kind of Kind of worth considering that Jesus for the joy that was set before him endured the cross and despised the shame and Suffered that indignity and then took his position at the father's right hand

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Not something that the God -man Jesus Christ would have ever experienced because though he experienced his incarnation

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He never would have experienced that exaltation until it was given to him after his suffering and after his resurrection

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So this refers then this kind of brings up something theologians refer to as the two states of Christ He has a state of humiliation a state of exaltation there was we don't talk about the two states of the logos because the logos had enjoyed one state prior to his incarnation that is that is

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Existing with the father in one nature in one unit and one essence and one substance but the state of humiliation comes at the incarnation being conceived by the

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Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary that begins the state of humiliation and that that went downward all the way to the death on the cross which is the lowest of his humiliation and then his state of exaltation which included his resurrection and then eventually his ascension and his exaltation and as this and in this position of exaltation gives him the

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Authority and the power because he has been made Lord over all things It gives him the authority and the power to dispense gifts, which is what

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Peter mentions in verse 34 Look at verse 33 for again Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the father the promise of the

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Holy Spirit He has poured forth this which you both see in here That is that the giving of the

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Spirit is something that Jesus Christ did from his position of exaltation So on the day of Pentecost which they saw in the giving of the

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Holy Spirit and eventually the distribution of spiritual gifts Was a function of his exaltation.

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It was something that he commanded the disciples wait And and before he left wait and not many days from now will pour forth the

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Holy Spirit You will receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. That was something that Jesus did from his state from his

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Exalted position at the right hand of the father This is why when

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Peter refers to the exaltation of Christ in verse 33 He immediately speaks of Jesus pouring forth this which you both see in here namely the

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Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues So that the giving of the Holy Spirit is something that Jesus does from his position of exaltation and there's imagery that is employed

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Here in the position of exaltation. It's also employed over in its Ephesians chapter 4 where Paul is discussing the

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The authority that Christ has and the authority that he has in giving gifts to his church

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So in Ephesians chapter 1 Paul says that Christ brought or this power that God has he brought about in Christ when he raised him

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From the dead and seated him in his right hand in heavenly places Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion in every name this name not only in this age

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But also in the one to come that's Ephesians 1 verses 20 to 21 Then later on in Ephesians chapter 4

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Paul uses the imagery of a king Taking captives and then giving gifts to men when he describes the giving of Holy's of gifts

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Under the power of the Holy Spirit to his church Ephesians chapter 4 Beginning at verse 7

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Paul says but to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift Therefore it says and he quotes here from the

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Old Testament when he ascended on high He led captive a host of captives and he gave gifts to men

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Now this expression he ascended What does it mean except that he also has descended into the lower parts of the earth?

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He who descended is himself also he who ascended far above all heavens so that he might fill all things verse 11 and he gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the

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Saints for the work of service in the building up of the body of Christ so there Paul attaches this

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Exalted position of Christ with the giving of spiritual gifts in the mind of the Apostles his exaltation is

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Distinctly connected with his giving of gifts and here's why Paul quotes from that Old Testament expression

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He ascended on high led captive a host of captives and that comes from the imagery of a of a conquering king

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Who's returning from battle with his army and his army in tow and it was it was customary in those days for a king

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After he had conquered a nearby city or a nation and having taken all of its spoil and its riches

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He would bring back his army in tow and behind the army would be of course the king at the front of the procession

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But behind him would be the army in this long procession and at the behind the army would be all of the captives the men or the women of the children that they were bringing back as the spoil from the city as well as all of the gifts and the

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Resources and the gold and everything that they had taken a spoil from that city They would parade this down through the main street of their of their city or their of their nation so the capital city and they would put all that they had accomplished on display and In putting all of that on to display the king then would distribute to his subjects in the in the parade

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The gifts that he had given some of the gifts that he had taken from his his victory spoils

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He would give that to his people who would watch this parade. That's the imagery that's being used there He has ascended on high and has come back he's taken his throne again.

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He's led a captive a host of captives He has all these captives these bringing back and he gives gifts to men the imagery is that that came bringing back the procession like a

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We would liken it to a Super Bowl parade in the Super Bowl victorious City puts on a parade and they bring all of the players down through Main Street and the coaches and the staff and they'll get to be part of the parade and the confetti and all of that Well in this case a king would do that.

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He put on a big parade He would bring this this train of captives and they would distribute all of the gifts of the spoil from the conquered

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City, he would distribute that to his subjects and to his people and then Paul says This Jesus who ascended first descended into the lower parts of the earth meaning here amongst us

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It's the same idea as in Philippians chapter 2 where he left heaven and came down here and took the form of a servant and came in the likeness of men

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He dwelt here among us and the lower parts of the earth being a Hebrew idiom for life in this world

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And our terrestrial plane he who ascended first descended here and then from here He ascended back to heaven and now he gives gifts to men and in Paul's usage.

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What is the gifts to men? It's the gift of the Holy Spirit In other words what Jesus has in his conquering of the of the spiritual realm and his conquering of sin and death

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What he has acquired for us is the gift of the Holy Spirit and now to us or is his people he distributes this to us

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Giving us the gifts that giving us the Spirit first and then all of the gifts of the

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Spirit And the gifts of the Spirit that are listed pastors and teachers and equal for the equipping the Saints for the work of ministry

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So all the gifts that God gives to his church are for the benefit of his church Jesus Christ from his position of exaltation has poured forth on us all the spoils of his victory and the spoils of the victory is the person of the

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Holy Spirit whom he now gives to his church and By the Holy Spirit we are sealed unto the day of redemption and the

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Spirit then becomes the seal or the the guarantee of our future inheritance

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And in the meantime, the kingdom is ours and the kingdom is coming and we get to receive all of it

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But in the meantime, he has given to us the Holy Spirit and with the Holy Spirit all of those spiritual gifts

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So what does the exaltation of Christ mean to us? It means the giving of the Holy Spirit it is from that position of Exaltation that he gives us the gift of the

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Holy Spirit as well as all the spiritual gifts that are given to his church teaching administration

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Singing gifts and serving gifts and speaking gifts and and preaching gifts and teaching gifts all for the edification of the body

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He continues to build us up and to bless us through the giving of all of those gifts And he does this from his position at the father's right hand

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That's what the exaltation of Christ means. It means he gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit Another thing it means is that his exaltation should remind us that we are guaranteed of our own glorification and exaltation with him his exaltation is a guarantee of our glory which is to come

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Because we are united with Christ in his death. We are united with Christ in his exaltation and Positionally, we are united with Christ in his exaltation

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What did I say? No, that's all right. Yeah, we are united with Christ in his death

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We are united with Christ in his resurrection and we are also united with Christ in his exaltation

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If that's not how I said it the first time that's how I should have said it the first time those three things We are united with him in all of those activities we are in Christ so that all of his work is keeping of the laws death his resurrection death his burial his resurrection and His ascension and his exaltation are all done on our behalf

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We are the beneficiaries of all of that And so we share with him in his resurrection in his ascension and in his exaltation

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Here's where we need to be careful. I'll tell you about a warning here about this doctrine Just a second. We just need to understand first what that means for us

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It means that his exaltation is in some sense Positionally also our exaltation

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So in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 20 Paul says that Christ brought that God brought about this

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Glorification of Christ when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in heavenly places Far above all rule authority power dominion, etc.

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Every name that is named in this age in the age to come that's an expression of his ultimate and Unsurpassable exaltation then

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Paul says in Philippians or Ephesians 2 verse 6 That we are raised up with him and seated with him in heavenly places

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There is a sense in which we are seated with Christ in his position of exaltation

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We are seated with him positionally and here we have to be careful that we don't Abuse the teaching of this teaching in Scripture and here's how it is abused it is abused in Word of Faith charismatic

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New Apostolic Reformation and Christian deliverance ministry circles where they assume that because we are positionally seated with Christ that all of his authority is also our authority and They will use this these passages and this exaltation of Christ that I've been describing they will say that if we are in him and his exalt and his death is our death and his resurrection is our

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Resurrection and his exaltation is our exaltation. Therefore his authority that he has is also our authority

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They will say if he has been given all authority in heaven and earth if all authority is his then it's also ours because we

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Share that same position and that's not true. That's an abuse of that doctrine So they will say that we have been authority over demons over nature over creation

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This is why Gloria Copeland can make the claim that she controls the weather This is why they say that they can claim authority over diseases and they can heal and this is why

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Kenneth Copeland Thinks that he has authority over kovat 19 to to blow that back into the ether wherever the demonic horde that came from They abused this passage in this teaching to say all of that and then to say that we have authority over demons as well that we can rebuke them and reprove them and cast them down and That we can bind them and all of that is within our realm.

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None of that stuff is within our realm Our being seated with Jesus Christ is a positional place of exaltation and it is simply remind it simply meant to remind us that our glorification is just as secure as the glorification of Jesus Christ if he can it if He can be unseated from his throne his position at the father's right hand

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Then we can lose our salvation and fail to be glorified if he can be unseated from that If authority can be taken from him and if that position can be taken from him

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Then we also can be unseated from our inheritance and our ultimate glorification But as long as his exalted position is secure then so is your glorification that That is what that doctrine is intended to remind us of if you are in Christ by virtue of your repentance and your faith

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Because the Father has put you in Christ and if his death is your death that his resurrection is your resurrection

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And his exaltation is your exaltation and his glorification is your glorification. We are not yet glorified

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We do not yet see all things subject to us but His exaltation is the absolute guarantee that we will see all things subjected to us and his exaltation is the guarantee of your glory and He does not share with us that authority over the demonic he shares with us his position

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But that authority is his and his alone and what he shares with us actually his is glorification

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He says in Revelation chapter 3 verse 21 that he who overcomes I will grant to him to sit with me on my throne as I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne

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Talked about this some weeks ago in Hebrews that the throne of God is guaranteed to all those who overcome we are the overcomers and We will share with him in that reign if we endure

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Paul says in 1st Timothy chapter 2 verse 12 If we endure we will also reign with him if we deny him

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He will he also will deny us but we are not those who deny him We are the ones who endure and we will reign with him

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What that means and what that will look like in the kingdom and in the eternal state We don't know for sure, but it does mean that we will in some sense in some way share his throne

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Just as he shares his father's throne So if you are in Jesus Christ if his work was for you

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If you are his if you belong to him by virtue of repentance and faith Because of that and his work is your work his exaltation is your exaltation and if you have the

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Holy Spirit you have the very thing that he is guaranteed as your possession and the and the security and the and the seal of your eventual inheritance

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If he has delivered up his son for him for us How will he not also with him freely give us all things and he will so your glorification is secured by the exaltation of Jesus Christ and His exaltation is also then finally a cause for our worship

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So when Peter quotes Psalm 110 in verse 34 and says the Lord said to my

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Lord sit at my right hand Until my make your enemies a footstool for your feet And then when Peter says in verse 36

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Therefore let all the house of Israel and that is everybody listening to this and watching this and reading those words

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Let all of us know for certain That God has made him both Lord and Christ this

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Jesus whom you crucified We are good to know this for certain that God has exalted him to his right hand and God has made him both

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Lord and Christ the exaltation of Christ should remind us of course that there is judgment to come which

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I talked about last week at the end of the message last week talked about the guarantee of a judgment to come if he has been exalted to that position of The father's right hand if God has made him

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Lord if God has made him Christ and he possesses that position Then you can be absolutely assured that he will deal with his enemies and he will make them a footstool for his feet in fulfillment to scripture

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Psalm 110 says to the unbeliever. They need to be reminded that this Jesus whom they have sinned against has been exalted to that position and If they remain his enemy, he will make them a footstool for his feet he will conquer them and judge them and it will be just and it will be swift and It will be their downfall and their eternal hell to the unbeliever

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If you're watching this you need to be reminded and of that and to know that you cannot avoid him You will not cast him off and you death will not hide you from his presence

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But to the believer his exaltation means that he is worthy of our worship Because the

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God of our father or the Godfather of the Lord Jesus Christ has exalted the

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Lord Jesus Christ to his right hand Therefore we worship and adore the Lord Jesus Christ Ultimately the exaltation of Christ makes him the object of the believers worship.

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We worship a triune God who Exists as three persons in one substance who has revealed himself in the person of Christ and spoken to us in the

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Son and This Christ has taken upon himself Human flesh and died in our stead and rose again and been exalted to the

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Father's right hand He is the object of the Christians worship We worship the

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Father Through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. We worship a triune

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God Manifested in the Son the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the object of our worship.

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So ultimately all of our doxological all of our orthodox

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Confessions of faith regarding the Lord Jesus Christ who he is is who he is and what he has done Ought to issue in the

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Christian in worship. It ought to come forth in worship It ought to be the result ought to be worship.

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We worship him We worship the Lord Jesus Christ and this is actually the scene that we see unfolded in Revelation chapter 5 and I'll just read to you to this in closing

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Revelation chapter 5 verses 9 through 13 John says that they sang a new song saying worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals?

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For you were slain and purchased for God with your blood meant from every tribe and tongue and people and nation

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You have made them to be a kingdom of priests to our God and they will reign upon the earth

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That's that's us. We will reign upon the earth then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders and the number of Them was myriads upon myriads and thousands upon thousands saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing and Every created thing which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and all things in them

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I heard saying to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be blessing and honor and glory and Dominion forever and ever

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That is the scene of worship that unfolds in heaven while Christ is seated there at the father's right hand

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Worthy is the lamb to receive Dominion and honor and glory forever and ever true theology a true theology of the death of Christ The resurrection of Christ and the exaltation of Christ ought to result in worship and praise to the

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Lord Jesus Christ because he is worthy He is worthy because of his death He is worthy because of his resurrection and he is worthy because he's been exalted to the father's right hand and that is his vindication

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That is his victory and that is our guarantee of eternal glory God has made him both

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Lord and Christ and we are the beneficiaries of all of that work So, let's worship him and adore him

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He is worthy for all of those reasons and that is why we live lives of obedience and humble submission to him

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Lives of adoration and praise. This is what the exaltation of Christ means for us believers.

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All right, let's bow in prayer Father, we are so grateful that we serve a risen

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Christ and an exalted Christ and we are grateful that you have glorified him Do you have vindicated all of his claims and his teachings and his power and his authority?

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You have given him that position of all authority over all your enemies all principalities and all powers

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For we know that he will use that authority and he will providentially rule over all things

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For the good of your people and for the glory of your great name And so we thank you that we could trust a

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Savior who is King. He is exalted Lord He is Lord and Christ. He is Yahweh and Messiah and for that reason our hope rests in him and him alone

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For that reason you have exalted him that he would use that position on behalf of us his people for we know that we share in his death and we share in his resurrection and we share in that exaltation and We will most certainly share in his glory and his rule and in his reign forever and ever

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This is what you have guaranteed us This is what you have promised us and you have secured it for us on our behalf through Christ And so we thank you we can only give you glory and thanks for this great blessing of salvation the exaltation of Jesus Christ Make us mindful of that each and every day to remember not only does our

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God reign But our Savior our Lord our Christ is seated at the father's right hand and has been given all authority until every last enemy

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Including death has been made a footstool for his feet And then we will reign and rejoice and rule with him in righteousness forevermore

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We love you, and we thank you for all of these many blessings and what the work of Christ has given to us we pray that we may be a worshipping people a serving people and adoring and loving people be fit and worthy of Giving glory to your son the

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Lord Jesus Christ in his name. We pray. Amen. All right.

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Well, thank you everyone I'm gonna hang out here for just a few moments. See if there's anybody

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I have not been watching any of the chat So if you said something or you had a question that you posted in the chat now is the time to put that back in there

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So that I can see it. I'll give it a few moments here.

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I'm gonna hang out for a bit if there is a If there is a zoom meeting happening after this,

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I probably won't be there. I'm probably gonna take off here In a few minutes but Peter can post the zoom chat there and you guys can drop into that and Chat around in there and say hi to one another if you want

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There it is. There's the zoom link All right

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Any questions about anything we've covered today so far? Drop that into the chat. If not, I see people starting to drop out already.

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You can go ahead and do so I'm gonna be dropping out here in about 60 seconds Give Peter a chance to make sure that the video is caught up to where we need he needs to cut it off But if you have a quick question or a comment, you want to drop in there.

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Go ahead. I See a lot of people saying thank you.

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You're very welcome. Thanks for joining us on the live stream by the grace of God Next week will be our last one of these

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All right again, if you have need deacons at Kootenay church org and Free to share the broadcast if you want and have a great week

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I love y 'all praying for you praying for our church praying for our nation and our leadership and I will chat with you guys again next week