"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S BLESSING UPON HIS PEOPLE"
Acts 3:25 “You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
Acts 3:26 “To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”s
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions, and a prayer:
These last two verses of Acts, Chapter 3, are also the last two things that the apostle Peter said as he preached the gospel following a miracle that took place. It was a Christ centered message that pointed out the truths of both God and man that had taken place in and through the arrest, trial, death, burial and the rising from the dead of Jesus. Peter went on to exhort his listeners to come to Christ for salvation. These two verses in today's devotional focus on the issue of how God has indeed blessed His people.
1. God has made a promise to His children.
Acts 3:25 “You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
Peter was speaking to Jewish people at this moment. And, he was explaining to them, that they were the children of the prophets whom God had sent. And, that God had made a covenant or promise to their father Abraham.
The most important promise to Abraham was, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
Paul later explains in Rom 4, and in Gal, that the "seed" referenced here, is speaking of Jesus Christ. In other words, God had long ago, in Abraham's day made a promise to send Jesus Christ into the world. And of course we know that He did. God keeps His promises. God cannot lie. Thus when He makes a promise, He will fulfill it.
2. God fulfilled His promise in sending His son Jesus Christ.
Acts 3:26 “To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”s
Now Peter goes into the detail of God's having fulfilled His promise to send the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
The one who would save any and all who would repent of their sins, turn to Him, and receive Him as their Savior.
Notice please what Peter said. Acts 3:26 “To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you"
Jesus was sent first to the Jewish people. What an amazing blessing the children of Israel had. That God would send to their nation a Savior. So, it was to them first that God sent Jesus. And, the reason He sent Jesus was to bless them. To bring Heaven's blessing to earth.
3. The blessing of God is that we can be turned away from our iniquities.
Acts 3:26 “To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”s
Now Peter explains what the blessing is. Notice again please what is said, Acts 3:26..... "sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”s
Iniquities, or sins, came into the world and brought a separation between God and man. The first mention of God providing a remedy for man's sin is found back in Gen 3, and in the 1st Epistle of Peter, it even explains that God had before creation planned to send Jesus to be our savior.
Savior from what?. Savior from our sins and iniquities. Sin brings separation, faith in Jesus Christ bridges that gap, and brings unity and fellowship with God. We are restored back into a relationship through Jesus Christ.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.
But, let's focus on one part of what Peter said, because it explains very precisely how God blesses us. Acts 3:26..... "sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”s. It is in our turning away or repenting from our iniquities or sins. The road to blessing starts with repentance from sin, and faith in Jesus Christ. And Paul tells us in Rom 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
So, to sum it up. God made a promise to send a savior, and He did. And when a person turns to the Savior and receives Him, they are forgiven of their sins and made new creatures, they become the sons of God, saved for eternity.
There is in fact no greater blessing that God could give to man. Jesus put it this way.
Matthew 16:26 “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Your soul is the most valuable thing you have. It's you. It's more valuable than all that is in the world. If you were able to have all that the world has to offer, but you lost your own soul, what good would all that you gained be? Nothing is the answer.
Some questions:
1.Isn't it a blessing that God has intended to bless you?
2. And, isn't it a blessing that He actually promised to bless you, and has made good on His promise?
3. Can you imagine what it would be like if you were still dead in your sins and iniquities?
4. What would life be like for you if you had remained separated from God?
5. Will You pray today about making our Great God known to others by the way you live and act?
6. Will you pray that God will open a door for you to share the good news of Jesus Christ with a needy soul?
A prayer:
Father, we have have become Your children. You have poured out Your goodness to us, and led us to turn to You and to receive the forgiveness of our sins. Thank You for loving us so much, that You sacrificed Your Son for us. We were and are undeserving of Your blessing. But, blessing us is what You promised to do, and You have done it. May our lives show the gratitude we have towards You by the way we live day by day. And, it's our sincere prayer to be used by You in the sharing of the good news of Jesus with others. In His name. Amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
