Sunday, May 19^th, 2024 will be Pentecost Sunday! The name comes from the Greek word pentekoste which means fiftieth. The holiday is celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Easter which is also fifty days after Easter.  It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks. This important event in the Christian faith is described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31), the fifth book of the New Testament of the Bible.[i]  It follows the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ (Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2), and it marks the beginning of the Christian church’s mission to the world.[ii]

As we focus on celebrating the entrance of the Holy Spirit, we are also reminded of the works of Christ through His exaltation. What does exaltation mean? Exaltation means to hold in high regard; to lift up; to be or become high in reference to God; to raise the consciousness from physical to spiritual. “Our purpose is to hear God speak in Jesus Christ, and to heed that Word. Our purpose should also be to know Christ better and exalt Him!”[iii] This month we see that Jesus is God and it is “Confirmed by His Exaltation.”

Lesson 1 begins in the book of Hebrews, describing how God revealed Himself and is now revealing His Son, Jesus Christ. He exalts Him as, “The Son Greater than the Angels, Hebrews 1:1-9. The lesson establishes the divine identity of Christ and offers a deeper and richer appreciation of who He really is. The immediate purpose is to prove that He is superior to the angels, and the prophets.

He has finished the work to purge us of our sin; and is exalted above all others. Therefore, He has inherited a more excellent name than they, Heb. 1:4.

Question: How does the bible describe Christ in Hebrews 1:3?

Lesson 2 takes us right into the throne of heaven. John asks the question, “Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof (Rev. 5:2)? The bible says no man is worthy. However, it does say, “The Lamb Worthy of Worship, (Rev. 5:6-14), is the one to open the book. Christ took the book and sat on the throne. “When He took the book, the four beast and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb.” They called Him worthy and they worshipped Him.  Are we still worshipping the Lamb of God, for who He really is?

Question: What does Christ received for being slain, according to Rev. 5:12?

Finally, lesson 3 reminds us that He is, “The Alpha and Omega,” Rev. 2:6-10, 12-13, 16-21. Christ is our beginning and our end. He was in the beginning when God said, “Let us go make man in our image, after our likeness, Gen. 2:26.” He will judge our works in the end (Rev. 20:12-13). The Lord admonishes us to worship Him and Him alone to receive the eternal promises of God. He said, “Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give to every man,” We have a sure hope that Christ will return for us and we shall receive His just reward. Let us exalt His name together.

Question: Why must we worship only God? Explain                                                                                                                                          

So, as we prepare for Pentecost Sunday, let also remember the great work that Christ has done for us. Let us remember how He carried the burden of our sin to the cross and was crucified. He is our source, center, and our end of everything that God has said. He has sat down, for his work is finished; and He has sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.  He is our Creator, Prophet, Priest and King; and He is superior to all of the prophets and servants of God.

“Lift up a banner on the high mountain,
Raise your voice to them;
Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded My [a]sanctified ones;
I have also called My mighty ones for My anger—
Those who rejoice in My exaltation.” Isaiah 13:2-4

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