Acts 2:29-39
God on behalf of his Covenant People has over the course of Redemptive History been working and moving in one direction: towards Jesus, who is both Lord and Christ. The full display of God's Covenantal Love is declared unto us in Christ's miraculous birth, his sinless life, his wrath bearing death on the cross, his glorious resurrection from the grave, his appearance to the disciples after his resurrection, and his triumphant ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father until the time of his return. This is nothing but the Gospel. The Good News that God has undertaken in Christ the full weight of responsibility for our salvation. He has made him Lord, ruler of all, the holder of judgment, the one who holds the key to life and death, heaven and hell, the one who will have the final say in every situation. This is where God has put him, Above All!!!
But what have we done with him? The very same thing that the men who Peter was
speaking to had done with Christ. CRUCIFIED HIM. But you say I was not there, how could I be guilty just like them for the death of Christ? Well we are all guilty in two senses: (1) In our lives we have all at one time or another treated Christ as if he was dead to us. Spurned his call to come and surrender our lives to him. Would not believe the truth that all our hopes were hinged on him and our relationship with God could only be made right through trust in his work and not our work. We lived as if we didn't need him and that we could make it on our own. Of this we are all guilty. (2) We were directly involved in his crucifixion because he died for our sins. He died in our place. If we were all sin-free and could get to God on our own, then his death was not necessary. But since God in his love for his people knew that there was no hope outside of Christ, he sent him to perform a mighty deliverance on our behalf. This is the meaning of the name Christ; it is interpreted Messiah, the promised deliverer, the one who saves, and the only hope for dying sinners.
Oh’ how the gift of Grace is shown to us in this text. These men who were guilty of the "death of Christ”, owned their guilt and asked, "What shall we do?” There was one response: Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. REPENT means to change your mind about Jesus, you once thought that you didn't need him; now be persuaded and understand that you can't live without Him. Be BAPTIZED, means make the public declaration of this change of mind and heart you've had about Jesus. Be now acquainted with him you who were once far off, sheep going astray. Find your new and true identity in Jesus. And the Gift of God's presence will live in you, to guide, to strengthen and continually transform you into the likeness of Jesus who is both Lord and Christ!!!
PRAYER: Father help us to see our deep need for Jesus. Help us to know that you have given us one way of deliverance, Jesus who is both Lord and Christ. Give us the gift of repentance, the change of heart needed to cling desperately to him. And may you baptize us afresh daily that we might live in our identity in him, publicly unashamed of our dependence on him! Amen…
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