DON’T MISS IT!
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Opening Prayer
As I read your Word today, Lord God, please show me more of who you are and who I am because you love me.
Read ACTS 13:26—43
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Acts
Acts 13
26 “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.
27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.
28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.
29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb.
30 But God raised him from the dead,
31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.
32 “We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors
33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: “‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’
34 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’
35 So it is also stated elsewhere: “‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’
36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.
37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.
40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:
41 “‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’”
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.
43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
Reflect
Journal about or reflect on a time you felt you could never make amends for a mistake you made.Now Paul delves into the heart of his message, showing how the death and resurrection of Jesus marked the beginning of a surprising new chapter in the story his Jewish audience would know intimately. His rabbinic training is evident in the skillful weaving together of Scriptures that guide our line of sight from David to the resurrection. The divine sonship of God’s Messiah (v. 33), whose body would not decay (vv. 35—37), and the availability of his enduring, faithfully covenanted love (v. 34) are fulfilled in Jesus. Significant undertones resonate from each citation: the opposition of God’s anointed by earthly rulers, the encompassing of all nations in the Messiah’s glorious reign, and the urgency of recognizing his sovereignty and responding to his mercy—a theme Paul drives home in his final reference (v. 41).
But the focal point is the new freedom available to us in God’s forgiveness (vv. 38, 39). No longer do we need to strive to fulfill the requirements of rules never intended to make or keep us right with him. No farther do we need to carry sin’s burden of guilt and shame. No more futile self-justification, no more flinching at accusation. Instead, belief is the highway into the promised new work God is doing for his chosen people, and through them for the nations. No wonder Paul doesn’t want anyone to miss it!
Apply
Is there any burden of guilt that continues to burden you? Why do you still carry it?
Closing prayer
Thank you, Jesus, for the freedom of forgiveness to which your death and resurrection welcome me. Please help me to enter it fully.
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