So here is the promised blog, I know you've all been waiting in great anticipation for this moment. I'm sure you've checked my blog faithfully everyday and experienced great dissapointment each time it was the same. Mmmmhm. ANYway...
"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. This 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. But 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. David said about him:
" 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope."Ok so, we all know (or maybe you don't but now you will!) that Jesus died on a cross and then 3 days later was raised from the dead again, quite amazing right? More amazing then we can even fathom! That passage of scripture up there is from Acts 2:22-26 it's after all the believers are filled with the Holy Spirit and Paul stands up in boldness and preaches the first sermon. He starts to talk about Jesus' death and resurrection, a few things from this passage stand out to me.
1. [vs 23] This 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.
God had complete control over this situation, it was God's plan all along that Jesus would die for His people. Because of Adam and Eve's sin there had to be a sacrifice, it was always God's plan that Jesus would be that once for all sacrifice. There's more to this point, we'll get there in a second...
2. [vs 24] But 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 It was impossible! Death had no authority, no power and no way to hold Jesus in its grip!! Knowing that fact it's astonishing that Jesus would die for us, isn't it?! Death was something so far removed from Him but he entered it fully so that we would have a way to restore our relationship with God. Wow.
Onto the extension of the first point that I was mentioning, which actually could also be an extention of the second point as well. Matthew 26:39 says,
"Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." So this is when Jesus takes his disciples to Gethsemane to pray. Jesus knew how incredibly painful and horrible the experience was going to be
but He also knew what was at stake here. He knew how important it was for His death to happen and He did what needed to be done, at a high cost to Himself. How amazing His love was for us all!
And because of all that, shouldn't something inside of us, as believers, rise up and want to have that same dedication to what God has called us to? Jesus was anointed for a set purpose, so are we! The cross of Jesus and everything that means should fill us with a deep desire to carry out that purpose we've been given!
God is amazing, I love learning more about Him everyday!
