SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/22/2018
9:50 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 “Salvation Presented”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts
10:34-43
Message of the
verses: “34 Opening his mouth, Peter
said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show
partiality, 35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right
is welcome to Him. 36 “The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching
peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all) - 37 you yourselves know the
thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the
baptism which John proclaimed. 38 "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God
anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing
good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 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, 41 not to
all the people, but to
witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and
drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 “And He ordered us to preach to
the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of
the living and the dead. 43 “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that
through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.’”
Whenever Paul would go into a Gentile town he first
looked to give the message of salvation to the Jews who were there “For I am
not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone
who believes, to the Jew
first and also to the Greek.”
When Jesus was about to leave in a cloud to go back to heaven He told
His disciples “6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying,
"Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" 7
He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the
Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the
Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’” You see the order of who was to first receive
the message of the gospel, and now Peter understands that it is time for the
Gentiles to receive the gospel as we mentioned earlier that both he and
Cornelius were made ready through the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter to give
out the gospel, and Cornelius to receive it.
The gospel is the same for all who have heard and received it no matter
where they are from.
Caesarea was the seat of the Roman government in Judea and
so when Peter tells Cornelius all that happened to Jesus Christ while in
Jerusalem, how He suffered and died and then rose again this was not something
that was not new to him. Peter begins
with the baptism of John, the forerunner of Jesus Christ and then goes on to
speak about the things that Jesus did those three years that Peter was with
Him. Peter was affirming that all the
things that the people of Caesarea had heard about Jesus was true, especially
the raising of the dead after three days in the grave.
Peter wanted to make sure that Cornelius head that the
resurrection of Jesus from the dead was true as there were some during that
time who did not believe this to be true, similar to some who do not believe it
in this day. Paul points out this truth
and the need to hear this truth in the 15th chapter of 1
Corinthians. Peter points out that no
all had the privilege of witnessing the resurrected Christ, but he had and not
he is passing on this truth to Cornelius and those who were with him.
“42 “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and
solemnly to testify that this
is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.” Peter points out the marching orders of those
who were apostolic witness, that is to tell others about Jesus Christ and the
way of salvation through Him. Peter then
ends by talking about the prophets who had written about what was going to
happen to Jesus Christ before it actually happened. As a part of my devotions this morning I read
over the 22nd Psalm and in this Psalm you see that David wrote about
crucifixion years before it was even invented as a form of capital punishment.
Peter gives out the gospel to Cornelius in these verses
and in our next SD we will begin to look at the response to what Peter spoke to
them.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: “but sanctify
Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give
an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
(1 Peter 3:15).”
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to continue to get me back on
my feet after having a tough time with the flue for a few days.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Priscilla” (Acts 18:2).
Today’s Bible
question: “What does “epistle” mean?”
Answer in our next SD.
1/22/2018 10:22 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment