Advent 2019 - Day 21

Read Acts 2:22-24

“Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death.

I have stated earlier that God’s plan all along was to send Jesus to die for us. I wanted to take a day and put Scripture to that claim.

Peter was addressing the huge crowd in Jerusalem at the festival of Pentecost. There were tons of Jews from all over the place listening to Peter tell them that they were responsible for killing Jesus. BUT he went on to say that this was always part of the plan. Look at verse 23. “...according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God…”

Peter wanted those listening to know what role they played in the killing of Jesus, but he also wanted them to know that “God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it.”

So Peter explained God’s plan in a way that those listening would both feel convicted and encouraged. Do you know what the result was? 3,000 people believed and were baptized that day.

​REFLECT

How can you communicate God’s plan in grace and truth?

How does it make you feel that God’s plan had to happen the way it did?