Tuesday in the Second Week of Ordinary Time

Acts 2:33-36

Christ Received from the Father the Promise of the Spirit

We continue with Peter’s sermon and are today confronted with a wonderful revelation from this very first sermon after our Lord’s ascension, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, concerning the God we worship.  At the very beginning of this good news about the salvation of man is this fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith upon which this very gospel is predicated – and that is, quite simply, the doctrine of the holy Trinity.  Indeed, the revelation of the Son and Spirit is the advance that the New Testament makes upon the Old.  Oh, both the Son and Spirit were there in creation (Genesis 1:2; Proverbs 8:22-31) and in the appearances of the “angel of the Lord” who was the pre-Incarnate Christ, and in other passages too numerous to tell.  But what was implied under the Old Covenant is now made explicit under the New, and that which was made so explicit concerns the very person of God Himself, which must ever be our first concern if we shall know Him rightly and worship Him according to His will.

The verse that jumps out at us is: “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”  Here we learn that the promise of the Holy Spirit was actually a promise made by the Father to His Son.  Of course, the Son in his human state was full of the Spirit (John 3:34).  Still, the promise of the Holy Spirit was given to and sent by the Son, just as he had told his disciples he would do (John 16:7, 12-15).  That promise was now fulfilled as the Son having received the promise now poured that promise out upon his disciples, the Church.

Peter also speaks of the exaltation of Christ to the right hand of God, the supreme place of honor, again in fulfillment of Psalms 16:8 and 110:1.  Peter uses the latter verse to show that David was not referring to himself but to Christ, as Christ himself implied in Matthew 22:41-45, and which Hebrews 1:13 also affirms.  Having experienced his humiliation as fully man on earth, Christ is now exalted into the heavens as the Lord before whom every knee shall bow and every tongue confess (Philippians 2:10).  In the meantime, the Spirit is sent to begin his ministry, one of the primary being convincing and convicting men of sin – which is exactly what we shall cover in tomorrow’s devotion.  Hear the Apostle Peter’s words, “Let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (emphasis added).  The Holy Spirit takes that apostolic word and brings it to the heart.  And He still does, praise God.

Author: The Reformed Baptist

My name is Stephen Taylor, ordained Baptist minister of eighteen years pastoral experience with a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Better than that, I am married to a godly woman, Karla, who has been very patient with me since 1989. I have two daughters, both of whom I homeschooled for extended periods of time, who became godly young women, and who ran off and married godly young men, all of which is very proper. The oldest daughter has even seen fit to bless me with a grandson and a granddaughter, and my youngest daughter with a grandson, all three of whom are bundles of exceeding joy. As you can see, I am quite blessed. This website is dedicated to helping people grow in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through the gift of writing that the Lord has given to me. It is specifically about helping His people grow in godliness, the theme you see repeated above. I write devotions with this aim and hope that they might be of some help to God’s people. Full disclosure: I am of a Reformed bent, meaning that my understanding of Scripture is primarily informed by the Reformers and their successors of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. However, as a student of church history and theology, I strive to remain true to that teaching handed down once for all unto the saints through every age of the Church. I like to think of myself as a “catholic” Christian, as the Reformers thought of themselves. At any rate, feel free to read, pray, and contact me if you wish, or correct me if need be. As you can see, I tend to follow the church year. Of course, I make no special claims about these devotions. I know very well that others have written better and plumbed the depths of God’s word with greater insight. But if my musings help someone draw closer to the Lord, well then, I have my reward. Blessings to you and may the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ speak to you that word which He knows you especially need to hear. Grace & peace, Stephen Taylor View all posts by The Reformed Baptist