Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God and it got him killed (see Acts 7:55 & 56). Jesus said to the High Priest, “…hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64, NKJV). And it got Him crucified.
It’s EVERYTHING
What was it about declaring Jesus, seen standing next to God in heaven, or Jesus declaring that after His resurrection, this would be the place where He would be seen, that would cause such violence, disruption, and death? It’s that these words are threatening. These words of truth—Jesus seated at the right hand of God—declare the authority, power and place of the Messiah and His coming Glory!
So, we aren’t bothered by this declaration of seeing, are we? We all know Jesus has risen from the dead and sits at the right hand of God in heavenly places far above all. Yes, we know, but what does this mean for us? It means everything. It is central to our faith, to our preaching the testimony of Jesus, and it was the early church’s proclamation of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus!
A Friend in High Places
This meant that God the Father had exalted the Son of Man to sit with Him at His right hand, waiting for His enemies to be made a footstool. Now, when we pray, do we see Jesus seated in Glory at the right hand of God? When we pray, do we see Him high above all principality, power, might, dominion, and every name that is named? And if we do, do we see Him demanding perfection of us, or do we see HIM being our perfection?
The truth is, we have a Friend in high places! Jesus appears today in the presence of God for us, or better yet, over us. We are in Christ; our life is hidden with Christ in God. When we approach the throne of grace, we come boldly through Christ and are received in Christ. We are accepted in the Beloved! We are holy and without blame in Christ before the Father. Everything that Jesus has accomplished, He has freely given to us in Himself. And we find that this is where He is seated at the right hand of Majesty.
Gaze into HEAVEN and see JESUS!
Yes, gazing into heaven and seeing the Glory of God, with Jesus standing at the right hand of God, is everything! Gaze and see Jesus in His highly exalted place. See His victory. See His triumph. See His joy. See His healing, His blessing… see His salvation and all He has accomplished.
See yourself with Christ, your life hidden with Christ in God; accepted in the Beloved, standing in Christ, holy and without blame before the Father in love. Practice in prayer now, because the next thing we are all going to see is His coming on the clouds of heaven! Now, that will really undo everything and everyone.
Seeing the glorified Christ TODAY will prepare us for the returning Christ TOMORROW!
