Christ who came as scheduled
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Christ came as expected
Acts 3:20-26
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). You saved us. This very Jesus rose from the dead and raised the beggar, who was crippled at birth. Peter is testifying of this Jesus.
Peter testifies. I'm not the one who caused this cripple. Jesus. It is the power of the name of Jesus. Faith in Jesus made this man walk. That's right. That's what Jesus did. I hope that we can believe that it is Jesus who saved us, Jesus who blessed us, and Jesus who brought us out of the valley of the shadow of death.
Peter introduced this Jesus. “Jesus, whom we rejected and asked to be crucified, so that he died” broke the tomb and the authority of death and was resurrected. Today, Peter himself is a witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus. I am proving that I am an eyewitness.
Peter is not satisfied with this and is preaching Jesus more deeply in the text we read today.
1. Jesus Christ ordained for us
“Jesus Christ, who was predestined for you” (verse 20), He has sent us the Jesus who was predestined from a long time ago, the Jesus who was predestined. Jesus is the Son of God, the one who planned and sent, and the one whom God promised and sent.
“In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
All things were created through him, and nothing that was made was made without him” (John 1:1-2).
“For he, being in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as robbery, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human form, and being found in human form, humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. ” (Phil 2:6)
The greatness of God lies in giving up being God and becoming a human being. It has also become the most hated species of people who are not ordinary people. People want to be high. But Jesus came in the lowest place. You came to the manger.
And Jesus did not come into the world and live for Himself. You have lived an altruistic life. He lived a life of obedience until death. He lived a life that did not thoroughly assert himself. He is the one who threw his life on the cross for the life that God wants. Jesus humbly died on the cross.
So, when John the Baptist testified of this Jesus, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus was the Lamb of God prepared for sinners like us.
Paul also said, “God demonstrates his love for us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Many people die for good people. Some may even die for the righteous. But who will die for sinners? But Jesus, who saved us, did just that.
How would you and I introduce this Jesus today?
John the Baptist introduced us to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and the Apostle Paul introduced us to prove his love for us by dying for our sins when we were sinners. What words can you and I testify? Are you the one who has nothing to say about Jesus? I can tell you for sure. Jesus Christ must be preached, preached, proclaimed, and witnessed through me and you, no matter what the cost.
“Jesus Christ, who was predestined for us” means Jesus Christ who saved us before the foundation of the world. It means that God did not improvise my salvation. It means that He came long ago, planned, prepared, at the right time, at the right time. Therefore, God's salvation means that there is no error. It means that He sent the Lord after waiting for time with a clear purpose, plan, and method. This means that he provided and predestined to save me before the foundation of the world.
2. Jesus Christ Spoken Through the Mouth of the Holy Prophet
Peter testifies that “God spoke from eternity through the mouth of the holy prophet” (verse 21). After introducing the predestination of Jesus Christ, Peter connects Jesus with Moses, David, and Abraham. This is the Jesus Moses spoke of. This is the Messiah David spoke of. It is Jesus Christ, whom Abraham spoke of as the source of blessing, and that is Him.
When Peter quotes (verses 22-23), the prophet Moses spoke of was “Jesus Christ”. This is a quote from Deuteronomy 8:15-20. Stephen also quoted this saying in the same way. In Acts 7:37, when Stephen was preaching, he was talking about a prophet like me. A prophet like me refers to Moses. He testified, “Whoever does not listen to the prophet will be destroyed from among the people.” If you look at the confession of faith in the early church, Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah and the One who would come as a prophet.
Why? Is Peter giving this witness? Because the Jews believed that the Messiah was coming, but could not believe that the Messiah was Jesus, Peter is introducing the Messiah you have been waiting for here now. If anyone does not listen to the prophet, he will be destroyed from among the people, whether Gentile or Jew, chosen or not, whoever rejects Jesus Christ will be destroyed.
Also, verse 24 speaks about the establishment of the kingdom of David. Jesus was physically born of the line of David.
“Speaking of a son, he was born of the lineage of David according to the flesh. But speaking in the spirit of holiness, he was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:3-4). world of” (Matthew 1:1). The Old Testament prophet Nathan prophesied about this very David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16, saying, “David will be established forever, and David’s reign will be everlasting.” David's reign
It's gone. But the kingdom of Jesus Christ, the son of David, is eternal. The kingdom of God is eternal. This was accomplished through the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
This is Jesus Christ, spoken and proclaimed through the mouth of the Holy Prophet. This Jesus Christ is our Messiah. You become a savior. you are my savior
3. Jesus Christ who came to bless us
“You are the children of the prophets, and the children of the covenant that God made with your fathers. God has raised up his servant to bless him” (verses 25-26). How amazing are these words?
Peter testifies. You are truly a blessed people. They are the children of the promise, the children of the prophets, the children of Abraham. The promises made to Moses, David, and Abraham are yours.
Think about it. No amount of explanation is enough to explain how great, great, and glorious the blessings the people of Israel had. To that extent, the Israelites were greatly blessed. But such a great blessing turned into a great curse. Why? Because they rejected the Messiah.
Look at Israel's history. That is why it became the most miserable nation in human history. All the great philosophers and scientists are Jews. However, the people who rejected the Messiah lived the most miserable lives of strangers in human history. lost country. The greatest blessing turned into the greatest curse. Israel is the most hated nation in the world. Six million people were slaughtered.
It showed how bitter and painful it was to reject the Messiah. But God did not forsake Israel. It's not that you hate them. God wants to save them again. Israel fell into this misery because they rejected the Messiah, so that the gospel could go to the Gentiles, and many Gentiles were saved.
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). Therefore, this blessing prophesied to Abraham is equally promised to all Gentiles who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). It is a blessing that only God can promise. It is a blessing given to those who believe in Jesus Christ. Therefore, Jesus is the Christ who came to bless us. You will be a source of blessing. This blessing has been promised to you and me who were Gentiles through Jesus. May you possess this blessing. This is the basis for boasting in believing in Jesus Christ as my Savior.
Friends, at home, at school, at work, this person came to our workplace, and this person is a blessing. Since this person came in, our company has been blessed. How good would this be? I hope to be that person. May this blessing of Abraham be wherever you go.
In this way, God sent Jesus Christ as my Savior and you for the sake of blessing. He sent Jesus Christ to restore us to being blessed. I hope this blessing will not turn into woe. I hope that we can all become truly blessed people on this earth by believing in Jesus Christ. Like Abraham, I hope that you can become a source of blessing for everyone through faith. From this time onwards, I hope that many of our neighbors will have the grace to enjoy the blessings because of you and me.
Now let me conclude.
As Peter testified today, Jesus Christ is “Jesus Christ ordained for us,” “Jesus Christ who spoke through the lips of the holy prophets,” “Jesus Christ, who came to bless us.” I pray that the miracle of being healed, standing up, walking, running, entering the temple and praising God can become a miracle for you and me. I bless you that every day of your life will be blessed with the witness of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I pray once again that you will have the blessing of living a life that is blessed with salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, who came to bless the cursed life, and a life that blesses everyone.