In our message series on Jesus, the Messiah, we looked at His birth, His miracles, His sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection. But the story of Jesus the Messiah does not end there. Today, we’re going to talk about the Messiah’s Exaltation. Of all the aspects of the Messiah that we are talking about in this series, this one is probably the least known. However, it is one of the most important, as it speaks of what Jesus the Messiah is doing in the present.

So, what are we talking about regarding the Messiah’s Exaltation. Let’s begin by looking at what happened after Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus spent 40 days teaching His disciples after He rose from the dead. He was seen not just by the twelve apostles, but by many others, even 500 on one occasion. Let’s take a look at Jesus’ final instruction to His disciples in …

Acts 1:8-9 (NIV2011)  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

Earlier in Acts 1, Jesus had commanded His disciples to wait to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Spirit baptism, Jesus explains in verse 8, would give them the power to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. After this final instruction, Jesus ascended up into heaven and has not been seen physically on the earth since the ascension.