Acts 2:22-41
In the Book of Acts, chapter 2, the Apostle Peter, chosen by Jesus to lead his sheep preaches to a crowd of devout Jews in Jerusalem. This is a unique crowd, made up of Jews who were complicit in the crucifixion of Jesus. Twice Peter confronts them with some crushing truth. In Acts 2:23 he tells them how Jesus was publicly endorsed by God. He follows that up with this. “…with the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed Him.”
A few verses later, Peter hits them with it again, saying, “So, let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah.” In other words, Jesus’ death wasn’t the result of a tragic misunderstanding. Jesus died because these same devout Jews refused to believe in prophecy and accept Jesus for who He was. They wanted an earthly king, not a true Messiah. Pride, piety, and power kept them from seeing their Savior even as He sat right there among them.
Peter’s words pierce their hearts and from a place of fear and condemnation they plead with Peter…what can we do? Talk about desperation due to sin. Think about a time in your life when you were convinced that your sin created an uncrossable chasm between you and Jesus’ grace. These folks hung Jesus on a cross! What did you do? Talk about hopeless situations, right? But listen as Peter extends to all of us this amazing ray of hope, found here in Acts 2:38.
Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Repent. Ask Jesus to help you change your mind about sin and the hold it has on your life. Do that, make that one simple request, and know the full power of His grace and mercy. Amazing.
But our repentance must be partnered with enduring patience. Why? Because every day Satan attacks. Our best hope against those attacks is to commit to repenting more than we give into temptation. We do that through constant prayer and quality time in His Word. The Christian life isn’t easy – just look at how Jesus and His Gospel are treated these days.
But if we enlist Him in the battle to protect our hearts and minds, even on the days when the struggle is great, even on the days when we backslide, Jesus reminds us of His unwavering forgiveness, and He welcomes us back into the light of His righteousness.
Confess…Repent…be patient. Do that and the blessings you never thought possible will surely come.