Acts 3:11-26
Being a parent is a very difficult thing. One of the hardest things is to try to get your child to understand what they did wrong in a situation and to get them to take ownership of it. So often, we try to deflect when someone points out what we did wrong rather than owning our part in it. I have two daughters who are 6 and 4 years old. As siblings do, they often fight with each other, even though they are like best friends with each other. Whenever they get in a fight and it comes to the point where I need to talk to them about the situation, I know what is about to happen. I talk to them separately, trying to find out what happened in the situation, and they always start to point out what the other person did. Then, when you try to find out what they did and their part in it, they go silent. They act like they have forgotten any wrong that they may have done, or they are trying their hardest not to admit it. As a parent, I find this to be exhausting. It would be so much easier if they would just fully admit to what they have done wrong and take responsibility for their part in it, rather than playing the blame game. However, just like children, adults find themselves in these situations all the time. Not willing to own their responsibility and wanting to put the blame on someone else.
We see this happening in our passage today as well. Peter and John had just miraculously healed a lame man so that he could walk. I love in verse 12 that they ask a question to the people on how they are surprised or why they would think that this power came from themselves and not God. We know that it was God’s power alone that healed the man, not theirs. We see with Jesus that the religious leaders often got upset with Him when He would heal or perform miracles and tried to discredit Jesus’s authority and power. The next couple of verses are pretty brutal and blunt to those around. They point out how the people had handed Jesus over to be killed. How they had disowned Him. How they killed the author of life. Talk about some extreme weight to the words of the apostles. The truth behind those words cut deep to the core. Many of them were not willing to own their part in it. They continued to place the blame on Jesus and those following Him rather than seeing what God was truly doing. They didn't want to admit that they were in the wrong at all.
These words were completely true to them and completely true to us. We must understand and see this for ourselves. These people were physically there and were a big part of Jesus being crucified. They called for His death and carried out His execution. It was their sin and turning their backs against God that killed Jesus. However, our sin played a part in that as well. Jesus died for all sin once and for all. For every sin ever. It is so important for a believer to come to know and recognize that they are sinners as well and to realize the true weight of their sin. That it brings death to themselves and to Jesus. We also crucified Jesus. But Jesus also willingly took that place to offer salvation from sin to all. The beauty of the gospel.
It is so important to recognize the weight of our sin, but to also choose to turn from it, to repent. It was foretold what would happen to Jesus, the Savior of the world. In verse 19, it tells us to repent and turn to God so that our sins may be wiped out. To repent means to own in to and to give it to God. To realize the weight of your sin and realize who you are, but to also turn from it and turn to God for salvation. The gift of salvation is something that we can never earn by our own doing; it is solely through the work of Jesus Christ. That He was fully God and fully man, lived a sinless life, willingly gave up His life on the cross even though He did not deserve to die, was buried, and rose from the grave to conquer death and sin so that we may find eternal life in Him. That is the gospel. That is what we turn to. We must realize that we deserve death and an eternity separated from Him in hell. But God gave us a way; we just need to own what we have done and give it all to Him. To realize our need for a Savior and to call upon Him for salvation.
Take a moment today and think about your sin. Think about the cross. Think about the weight of it all. Own in.
After, take time to dwell on what Jesus has done for you. Dwell on His grace and mercy that He has shown to you. Be filled by it.
Being a parent is a very difficult thing. One of the hardest things is to try to get your child to understand what they did wrong in a situation and to get them to take ownership of it. So often, we try to deflect when someone points out what we did wrong rather than owning our part in it. I have two daughters who are 6 and 4 years old. As siblings do, they often fight with each other, even though they are like best friends with each other. Whenever they get in a fight and it comes to the point where I need to talk to them about the situation, I know what is about to happen. I talk to them separately, trying to find out what happened in the situation, and they always start to point out what the other person did. Then, when you try to find out what they did and their part in it, they go silent. They act like they have forgotten any wrong that they may have done, or they are trying their hardest not to admit it. As a parent, I find this to be exhausting. It would be so much easier if they would just fully admit to what they have done wrong and take responsibility for their part in it, rather than playing the blame game. However, just like children, adults find themselves in these situations all the time. Not willing to own their responsibility and wanting to put the blame on someone else.
We see this happening in our passage today as well. Peter and John had just miraculously healed a lame man so that he could walk. I love in verse 12 that they ask a question to the people on how they are surprised or why they would think that this power came from themselves and not God. We know that it was God’s power alone that healed the man, not theirs. We see with Jesus that the religious leaders often got upset with Him when He would heal or perform miracles and tried to discredit Jesus’s authority and power. The next couple of verses are pretty brutal and blunt to those around. They point out how the people had handed Jesus over to be killed. How they had disowned Him. How they killed the author of life. Talk about some extreme weight to the words of the apostles. The truth behind those words cut deep to the core. Many of them were not willing to own their part in it. They continued to place the blame on Jesus and those following Him rather than seeing what God was truly doing. They didn't want to admit that they were in the wrong at all.
These words were completely true to them and completely true to us. We must understand and see this for ourselves. These people were physically there and were a big part of Jesus being crucified. They called for His death and carried out His execution. It was their sin and turning their backs against God that killed Jesus. However, our sin played a part in that as well. Jesus died for all sin once and for all. For every sin ever. It is so important for a believer to come to know and recognize that they are sinners as well and to realize the true weight of their sin. That it brings death to themselves and to Jesus. We also crucified Jesus. But Jesus also willingly took that place to offer salvation from sin to all. The beauty of the gospel.
It is so important to recognize the weight of our sin, but to also choose to turn from it, to repent. It was foretold what would happen to Jesus, the Savior of the world. In verse 19, it tells us to repent and turn to God so that our sins may be wiped out. To repent means to own in to and to give it to God. To realize the weight of your sin and realize who you are, but to also turn from it and turn to God for salvation. The gift of salvation is something that we can never earn by our own doing; it is solely through the work of Jesus Christ. That He was fully God and fully man, lived a sinless life, willingly gave up His life on the cross even though He did not deserve to die, was buried, and rose from the grave to conquer death and sin so that we may find eternal life in Him. That is the gospel. That is what we turn to. We must realize that we deserve death and an eternity separated from Him in hell. But God gave us a way; we just need to own what we have done and give it all to Him. To realize our need for a Savior and to call upon Him for salvation.
Take a moment today and think about your sin. Think about the cross. Think about the weight of it all. Own in.
After, take time to dwell on what Jesus has done for you. Dwell on His grace and mercy that He has shown to you. Be filled by it.
Posted in Devotional