Daily Bread 2010 - Acts 2
Daily Bread 2010 – Acts 2
22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him:
" 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
27because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.'
Peter stands up and gives one of the first sermons in the early church. It said he had to raise his voice (obviously there was no sound system back then!). Since it was a mainly Jewish audience gathered for the Feast of Pentecost, which was celebrated 50 days after the Passover, Peter connects the Old Testament to Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
Peter quotes from Psalm 16 (my favorite psalm) how David was referring to Jesus as he held out to the hope of eternal life. David’s deep trust in God was reflected when he said, “You will not abandon me to the grave or let your Holy One see the pit (or the Sheol, the Hebrew words for Hades or Hell) David knew that if God was the author of all life that if He was in relationship with God, death would not be the end of the story. He reasoned because God lived, He would live no matter what happened to Him.
It didn’t make sense that God would call someone to be His own and then just let them die. It still doesn’t make sense and through the New Testament we know that Jesus’ own resurrection (the firstborn from the dead) assures us that God will not abandon us to the grave or let His holy ones see the Pit.
Because of this knowledge and confidence David wrote so beautifully in this psalm, “Therefore my heart is glad, my soul rejoices and my body dwells secure!” (that about covers it!) As you keep the Lord next to your side, you will not be shaken either. The world shakes us up quite a bit but if we are connected the eternal God through His victorious Son, we can live in confidence that one Day God will call us to the joy that will come in His presence.
Dear God we thank you for the promises you give us that if we believe in you, even though we die, yet shall we live. Thank you for raising Jesus from the dead, as proof that you are the God of the living, not the dead. In His name, Amen.
22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him:
" 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
27because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.'
Peter stands up and gives one of the first sermons in the early church. It said he had to raise his voice (obviously there was no sound system back then!). Since it was a mainly Jewish audience gathered for the Feast of Pentecost, which was celebrated 50 days after the Passover, Peter connects the Old Testament to Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
Peter quotes from Psalm 16 (my favorite psalm) how David was referring to Jesus as he held out to the hope of eternal life. David’s deep trust in God was reflected when he said, “You will not abandon me to the grave or let your Holy One see the pit (or the Sheol, the Hebrew words for Hades or Hell) David knew that if God was the author of all life that if He was in relationship with God, death would not be the end of the story. He reasoned because God lived, He would live no matter what happened to Him.
It didn’t make sense that God would call someone to be His own and then just let them die. It still doesn’t make sense and through the New Testament we know that Jesus’ own resurrection (the firstborn from the dead) assures us that God will not abandon us to the grave or let His holy ones see the Pit.
Because of this knowledge and confidence David wrote so beautifully in this psalm, “Therefore my heart is glad, my soul rejoices and my body dwells secure!” (that about covers it!) As you keep the Lord next to your side, you will not be shaken either. The world shakes us up quite a bit but if we are connected the eternal God through His victorious Son, we can live in confidence that one Day God will call us to the joy that will come in His presence.
Dear God we thank you for the promises you give us that if we believe in you, even though we die, yet shall we live. Thank you for raising Jesus from the dead, as proof that you are the God of the living, not the dead. In His name, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment