SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/28/2017
9:50 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 The Resurrection of Christ
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts 2:24-32
Message of the
verses: “24 God raised him up,
loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by
it. 25 For David says concerning
him, “ ‘I saw the Lord always
before me, for he is at my right hand
that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore
my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to
Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the
paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ 29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence
about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is
with us to this day. 30 Being therefore
a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set
one of his descendants on his throne, 31
he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was
not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God
raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.”
One of the great themes of the book of Acts is the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, for if Christ had not risen from
the dead then there would be no need of the book of Acts. Paul writes about this in the 15th
chapter of 1 Corinthians: “12 Now if
Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among
you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no
resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has
not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15
Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified
against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead
are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been
raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are
still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have
perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men
most to be pitied.” Paul realized the
importance of the doctrine of Jesus being raised from the dead as Peter also
did too.
This theme of the resurrection of Christ is not only the
theme of the Apostle’s preaching but as John MacArthur writes it is “also
without question the climax of redemptive history. It proves beyond doubt the deity of Jesus
Christ and establishes His messianic credentials. It is also the guarantee of our own
resurrection (John 14:19; Rom. 6:4-5; 1 Cor. 6:14; 15:16-23). The resurrection is the crowning proof that
God accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (cf. Rom. 4:25) [‘He who was
delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our
justification.’] Without it He death
becomes the heroic death of a noble martyr, the pathetic death of a madman, or
the execution of a fraud.”
So as we think about the resurrection of Jesus Christ we
can say that it is the greatest proof that He is indeed the Messiah. Not His preaching, or His miracles, but His
resurrection proves that He is Messiah.
Let us look at verses 23 and 24 as they are one connected
thought “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.” The truth is that Israel rejected her Messiah
but God raised Him up again, and this is the truth that Peter is forcefully
driving home to those who are listening to his inspired preaching. Peter is telling the crowd that they are
guilty of opposing God—despite their boasts to the contrary. Let us look at Romans 2:17-20 “17 But if you
bear the name "Jew" and rely upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and approve the things that
are essential, being instructed out of the Law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a
guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the
immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.” This is not the only time that this tactic
was used in the book of Acts. “14 "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous
One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 but put to death the Prince of life, the one
whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses (Acts 3:14-15).” 39 “We are witnesses of all the things He did
both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by
hanging Him on a cross. 40 “God raised Him up on the third day and granted that
He become visible (Acts 10:39-40).” “27
“For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor
the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by
condemning Him. 28 “And though they found no ground for putting Him to death,
they asked Pilate that He be executed. 29 “When they had carried out all that
was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a
tomb (Acts 13:27-30).”
John MacArthur writes “By raising Jesus, God put ‘an end
to the agony of death’ for Him. ‘Agony’
translates odinas, which literally
means ‘birth pangs.’ Like the pain of a
woman in labor, the pain of death for Jesus was temporary and resulted in
something glorious—the resurrection.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I can say for
certain that if Christ had not been raised from the dead then I would not be
writing what I am writing at this time.
I can also say that I am thankful for a better understanding of the
Greek language that John MacArthur brings out in his commentary.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to see me through a trail that
I am going through at this time, but in the end it will bring glory to the
Lord.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Rahab” (Joshua 2:1-4).
Today’s Bible
question: “Which book has as its main
theme ‘That Jesus is a better priest or mediator between God and man than were
the Old Testament priests’?”
Answer in our next SD. 7/28/2017 10:22 AM
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