22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. Acts 2:22-24 (NLT)
Peter is grabbing the attention of the crowd. God was verifying Jesus as the Messiah. The Messiah was the long-awaited King that would save the Jews. But Jesus didn’t come as the king the Jews wanted or expected so they resisted Jesus’ authority and deity. But God! God endorsed Jesus as Messiah through the miracles He performed.
God sent Jesus as the Messiah that would save Jewish people and ALL people. Believers were not just saved from oppression of man and rulers, but saved from the power of sin, shame, and suffering as a result. God planned this long ago back in the days just after creation. It was always God’s plan to save all people from sin.
Perfect, sinless Jesus needed to go through the painful betrayal and death on a cross to pay the price of sin’s ugliness. Jesus willingly submitted to God’s plan to accomplish unity with God for you and me. But Jesus did not stay dead. After three days including a round with the devil in hell, Jesus rose again from the dead and today sits at the right hand of God in heaven.
Jesus agreed to pay the price. The devil, the Gentiles, nor the unbelieving Jews took the life of our Savior Jesus Christ. God’s perfect plan, with Jesus’ full submission to His Father, played out exactly the way God intended. And now, you and I have the power to resist sin, to be free from shame, and to live eternally with God just as He planned when we accept the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf.
Let’s Pray:
Dear God, Your perfect plan so long ago is amazing. You sent Your perfect Son to die for my sin. Jesus didn’t stay dead and Believers who call on His name will not die but live with You forever. I call on the name of Jesus now. I ask Jesus to come into my life, forgive my sin, and teach me to walk in Your ways. Thank You Father God for making this possible. Thank You for loving me so much. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.