Intro to Acts 2:22-36

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/23/2017 7:10 AM

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Intro to Acts 2:22-36

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 2:22-36

            Message of the verses:  “22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know- 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. 25 “For David says of Him, ’I SAW THE LORD ALWAYS IN MY PRESENCE; FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN. 26 ’THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED; MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL LIVE IN HOPE; 27 BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES, NOR ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY. 28 ’YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE; YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH YOUR PRESENCE.’ 29 "Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 "And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. 32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33 "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. 34 “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ’THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, 35 UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET."’ 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ-this Jesus whom you crucified."”

            In Today’s SD we will begin to look at the second part of Peter’s sermon, the very first sermon that was preached in the church age.  John MacArthur entitles his chapter for this section:  “The First Christian Sermon—Part 2 The Theme: Proclaiming the Risen Lord.” 

            God told Abraham that He was going to bless the nation of Israel by bringing to them their Messiah (Gen. 12:1-3), and since that time the people of Israel had been looking forward to the time when the Messiah would come to set them free from their enemies and make all wrongs right.  In this first sermon Peter tells them that Messiah had already come in the Person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  The Messianic times had indeed begun.

            We who live in the 21^st century probably have a difficult time in understanding just how difficult this was for the Jewish people to understand this, but when you have two different descriptions of the Messiah in the Old Testament, one showing a humble Man who would come and die for the sins of the people, and One who is a conquering King who would slay all Israel’s enemies, then probably most people would over look the suffering Messiah and look for the Conquering King Messiah, which is what they did and why it was difficult for them to realize that their Messiah had already come in the Person of Jesus Christ.

            John MacArthur concludes his introduction by writing:  “For Peter to proclaim Jesus as Israel’s Messiah was to raise the most dynamic, powerful and forceful issue possible.  By so doing, Peter showed a boldness and courage that he had previously lacked.  That is once again evidence of the transforming power of Pentecost in his life.

            “Knowing that his hearers would demand compelling evidence before accepting such an audacious claim, Peter proceeds to provide it.  Having explained the miracle of Pentecost in his introduction, he now launches into his theme, namely that Jesus of Nazareth is the divine Messiah.  Peter establishes Jesus’s credentials by demonstrating how His life, death, resurrection, and exaltation prove Him to be the Messiah.  As his sermon unfolds, Peter flows through those four elements in chronological order.  In keeping with apostolic custom, however, he focuses primarily on the resurrection of Christ (cf. Acts 3:15; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30, 33, 34, 37).”

            I look forward to begin to better understand this first ever sermon that Peter gives in the church age.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “As a snare unto us” (Exodus 10:7).

Today’s Bible question:  In the resurrection, our bodies shall be fashioned like unto what?”

Answer in our next SD.

7/23/2017 7:39 AM