Thursday, June 1, 2017
Luke 24:46-47, 51 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" ... Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.
REJOICE! JESUS HAS ASCENDED TO BE YOUR KING!
When He was on this earth, Christ fulfilled what we call His three offices, namely those of Prophet, Priest, and King. He fulfilled those offices on earth, but He did not abandon them when His redemptive work was done. He continues to carry out these offices in eternity in behalf of the Church.
When Christ came into the world He left His throne in heaven, but He did not abdicate that throne. Jesus told Pilate, "'My Kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.' Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are you a king then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.'"
It is the responsibility of king to defend the citizens of his kingdom, and so Christ, "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them in [the cross]" (Colossians 2:15). As our King, Christ conquered all of our spiritual enemies when He died upon the cross--all of them--sin, death, and the devil were overcome in one blow at Christ's death. We read in 1 John 3:8, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."
Having ascended into Heaven, "[God]...seated [Christ] at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power ... And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church..." (Colossians 1:20-22). Christ continues to carry out His office as King, not only ruling in the hearts of His people with His Word, but ruling over all things for His Church! Only the King of all Creation could make and *keep* this Promise: "... all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
So Paul wrote these reassuring words to the Citizens of God's Kingdom: "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).
