Acts 2:36 speaks of God’s work in making Jesus both Lord and Christ: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ- this Jesus whom you crucified.” As God, the Lord was the Lord all the time (Luke 1:43; John 11:21; 20:28). But as man, He was made the Lord in His ascension after He brought His humanity into God in His resurrection.
God made Jesus the Lord, as the Lord of all (Acts 10:36), to possess all. God made Him the Lord to possess the whole universe, God’s chosen people, and all positive things, matters, and persons. God has made Christ the Lord not only of God’s chosen people but also of the angels and of all those who will be in the millennium and in the new heaven and new earth. This means that Christ has been made the Lord of the heavens, the earth, and of everything and everyone He has redeemed.
Acts 2:36 tells us that God has also made Jesus to be Christ. As God’s sent One and anointed One, Jesus was Christ from the time He was born (Luke 2:11; Matt. 1:16; John 1:41; Matt. 16:16). But as such a One He was also officially made the Christ of God in His ascension. God made Him to be the Christ to carry out His commission.
Acts 5:31 says, “This One God has exalted to His right hand as a Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” God exalted the Man Jesus, rejected and killed by the Jewish leaders, as the highest leader, the Prince, the Ruler of the kings to rule over the world (Rev. 1:5; 19:16), and the Savior to save God’s chosen people. “Leader” is related to His authority, and “Savior” to His salvation. Because He has been exalted by God, Christ rules sovereignly over the earth with His authority so that the environment may be fit for God’s chosen people to receive His salvation (Acts 17:26-27; John 17:2). “To give repentance...and forgiveness of sins” to God’s chosen people requires Christ to be exalted as a ruling Leader and Savior. His sovereign ruling causes and leads God’s chosen people to repent, and His salvation based upon His redemption affords them forgiveness of sins.
Repentance is for forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4). On God’s side, forgiveness of sins is based upon His redemption (Eph. 1:7). On man’s side, forgiveness of sins is through repentance. Now we need to repent and receive forgiveness. Repentance and forgiveness are two steps by which we are made ready to receive the dispensing of the Triune God so that we may be the church.
The goal of God’s work in the new dispensation is for His dispensing of Himself into us. God did all the things we have covered in this message for the goal of making everything ready and having His chosen people available for His dispensing. Dispensing is God’s unique goal. We all need to pray. “Lord, dispense Yourself into me. O Lord, infuse me with Yourself.” Our need today is to receive more and more of God’s dispensing.
Home | First | Prev | Next