Last week in Sunday school we looked at how God’s power manifests itself in the world. What does the Lord say about God’s power in the world? In Acts 13:48,49 it says that the Gentiles began rejoicing and that the Word of the Lord spread throughout the whole region. Here we see the principle that when God’s power is active in the world it always results in the joyful spread of the Word of the Lord or the Gospel.
Beginning in Acts Chapter 1 we see that the Church has been given power from on high (Acts 1:8). The proof of this power in the Church is the proclamation and victory of the Gospel message over against the kings of the earth. The spiritual effect of joy and devotion to the Gospel message has a spiritual cause - none other than the risen Christ reigning through His Spirit. For those who doubted that this power was centered around the risen Christ Paul lays out several pieces of evidence.
First, Paul quotes Psalm 2:7 where it says, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” Psalms 1 and 2 summarize the entire message of the book of Psalms: Blessed are all those who take refuge in the Son. A thousand years before the resurrection of Christ Psalm 2 looks forward to a time when God would publicly declare His unique love for His only Son. All believers in Christ are sons by adoption. However, the Messiah would be son by nature. In Christ’s resurrection from the dead the Father declares that Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God.
Next, Paul quotes Isaiah 55:3 where it says: “I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.” It was to David that God had promised I will be to him a Father, and he will be to me a son (2 Samuel 7). In Isaiah 55 the prophet Isaiah looks forward to the time when God would give His Son and through him to the world the holy and sure blessings of David. These blessings will be sure because the God of Israel would provide a Son whose kingdom would be permanent. However, how could this be? Even the great King David’s reign eventually ended because he like all men experienced the curse of Adam - death and the decay of his body. The Spirit answers this question.
This Son’s blessings could be permanent because his body would escape decay and live forever. Paul quotes Psalm 16 where it says, “You will not let your holy one see corruption.” Paul explains that David after he had served his purpose was buried and his body saw corruption. We can say that of all men and women. We can even say that of institutions, nations, and the greatest leaders - after they had served their purpose they died and decayed. Not so with the Son of God, Jesus Christ, beloved of the Father. In the strongest possible language, the God of Israel proclaims about Christ - “This is my man!” Consequently, “by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”
Jesus Christ gives a better freedom than the law of Moses for three reasons. First, the law of Moses contained signs of the Gospel but lacked the substance - Christ crucified. Second, the law of Moses provided sacrifices for sins, but it had no power to cleanse the conscience. Third, the law of Moses provided a way only for the high priest to enter the intimate presence of God, and this only once a year on the Day of Atonement. It’s no wonder the Gentiles began rejoicing and glorifying God.
Through faith in Christ the Gentiles had found the substance of the Good News, the power which cleansed their guilty conscience, and the savior in whom they enjoyed the intimate presence of God through the Holy Spirit. This is the power of God in the world. This passage ends with an invitation. Will you open your eyes to see the power of the risen Christ at work in our community and world? Look for the joyful proclamation and devotion to the message of forgiveness in Jesus Christ the Son of God! There you will find the power of God’s spirit in the world.
