Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” Acts 2:36-40
The early church in the book of Acts overcame the threat of death by living in the reality of Jesus’ resurrection every day. Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and He was buried and was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. (1Cor 15:3-4) The church held fast to this one supreme miracle that proved God was with us- the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ resurrection is an actual historical event. The infallible and inerrant Word of God testifies of it, and includes the fact that He appeared to more than 500 of His followers after His resurrection. (1Cor 15:4-6) By His resurrection, Jesus overcame man’s most dire plight- death. God’s infinite power is at work in the resurrection, giving believers final victory over the sting of death, and anchoring us to a sure hope in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. (2Cor 4:4; 1Cor 15:56-57) Why then, do so many Christians live unaffected by Jesus’ resurrection? It is because Satan will do whatever it takes to blind us from seeing the glory of God in Jesus’ resurrection. Therefore, based on this excerpt in Acts 2, before seeking to learn how to live in the reality of Jesus’ resurrection, there are necessary conditions that must first occur in each and every man and woman.
You must be converted. You must be saved according to the Scriptures. In his message to the crowd in Acts 2, Peter preached of the risen Lord and Christ- this Jesus, whom they crucified. He pointedly accused his hearers of killing Jesus, though the crowd was not the actual ones who nailed Jesus to the cross. But Peter was showing that all men are murderers of Christ because of their sin. Unless you realize that your sin nailed Jesus to the cross, you will remain blind to the gospel. Sin is to consider yourself lord over your own life. It is to hate Jesus’ reign; it is to reject Him so that you can preserve your self-centered, self-righteous life. Peter preaches of this Jesus, whom you crucified.
You must repent. The crowd heard Peter’s words and realized they rejected the only way God had provided for salvation. They were convicted; pierced to the heart by the gospel message. They therefore cried out, “What shall we do?” This is a true sign of impending conversion. It is only by an understanding of sin, that one can cry out to God. “Lord, what shall I do?” Peter answers, repent. Repentance is a thorough change of man’s natural heart. It can only be done when the Holy Spirit changes our hearts, helping us see how lost we are; how completely hopeless we are without God. We have tried so many ways to mend our lives and do good, but it has led to nothing but failure and guilt. Repentance is to turn to God in your heart, acknowledging His Word to be true. It is to confess Jesus as Lord, and to believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. It leads to faith and love for the risen Christ, who came to die for our sins, and was raised to make us perfectly righteous before God. (Rom 10:9)
You must be baptized. Baptism itself does not save- it is a symbol of inner faith in one who has been saved by God; a public confession that you have died with Christ in His death, and are raised with Him in His resurrection. (Col 2:12) The sign of true conversion is obedience, and baptism is the first command we must obey. When a person is converted by the Holy Spirit, he begins to see God and himself as never before. Many try to effect salvation on themselves through their own efforts, but they still remain in the bondage of sin. God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit to work a genuine conversion in our hearts. (Jn 14:26) The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus- He dwells within us. The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is now in us, decimating the sin of unbelief in our hearts, and convincing us of our true repentance and baptism. All sin comes from the sinful root of unbelief. Even believers practice unbelief. To believe in Christ is to walk with Him in all our ways, but believers often try to break away from Jesus, or they try to lead Jesus by their own desires and situations. They restrict Jesus’ lordship in certain areas of their lives- they refuse to surrender to Christ. This is why we need the Holy Spirit. He helps us to surrender to Jesus as Lord, and to love Him above any other. (1Cor 12:2-3)
The Holy Spirit separates us from the world. This is evident in every true Christian. If there is no clear distinction between you and the world, you are not saved. Salvation is a supernatural work- it is not by human will or effort. God changes our hearts to hate the world, and to hate our old life of sin. You can not love the world and love the Lord- the Bible declares this impossible. All that is in the world- the lust of the flesh and the eyes, and the boastful pride of life- is not from God; it is from the world. (1Jn 2:16) True salvation frees us from self- in other words, it makes us selfless. We now live by the Word of God and see all things through the lens of Jesus Christ, our risen Savior and Lord. His Word is sufficient for everything. By His Word, the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to repent and be baptized, and by His Word, He will guide to live in the light and power of Jesus’s resurrection.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
Leave a comment