Saturday, May 30, 2009

Prophetic proclamation

Today’s Reading: Acts 2:25-28 (NIV)

25 David said about Him, “’I saw the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’”

Good morning!

The Apostle Peter chose to quote a Psalm of David to illustrate the truth of his personal testimony that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God. The proof is in the resurrection and Simon Peter knew it. Some of the men listening that day had been in the city of Jerusalem just two months earlier when Jesus rode through the city on a donkey. They heard Him teach on the steps of Solomon’s porch, and were well aware of His healing gifts. Jesus raised dead Lazarus from the grave. He healed the blind, cast out demons, and did not hesitate to speak truth to the Chief Priests and Pharisees. They watched and wondered while Jesus was flogged and hung on a cross to die at Golgotha. They had heard rumors of the miraculous empty tomb on the third day. How did King David know what would literally happen before their very eyes hundreds of years before?

Fulfilled prophetic proclamation has a way of grabbing our undivided attention when we least expect it. The Jews had long awaited their Messiah. Some had hoped and believed that Jesus Christ was the One. They were devastated when he died, thinking that somehow they had misinterpreted the signs. For generations, stories of the coming Messiah had been passed from father to son. Folks were looking up with one eye to the sky, waiting for the miraculous appearing. No one expected the Son of God would arrive one night in a cold and dirty barn, just outside the city walls of Bethlehem. Even as Jesus explained his death and resurrection to His disciples, they could not comprehend or understand what He was trying to convey. It was only after His bodily resurrection and reappearance occurred that people began to fully understand and realize that this prophecy was fulfilled.

There is unspeakable joy in the presence of the Lord! He is the living example of our Father’s love for the whole world. Because Jesus Christ lives, we no longer live in total separation from our God. When we ask Jesus to be our Lord, His blood covers all our sins, allowing us the privilege of being fully restored to a holy and perfect Father. What kind of love is this?

David’s prophetic proclamation as spoken by the Apostle Peter that day in Jerusalem, still holds true today. This is the best news we will ever receive. We are witnesses to Christ’s prophetic proclamation fulfilled every day. The Lord Jesus Christ is alive and well, and He is coming back for you and me. Keep one eye to the sky for a brand new day is about to dawn.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

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© Copyright 2009, Deb Spaulding

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