Do You Have the Proof of the Resurrection? Part 3 – Acts 2:36-42

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the primary proof of God’s existence, Jesus’ deity, and the infallibility of Scripture. God raised Jesus up from the dead to show all men that He is the Messiah who came to save His people from their sin. (Acts 17:31) Christians do not live in blind belief- we have the evidence of the resurrection that solidifies our faith in Jesus Christ. He lived on earth to fulfill all righteousness, He died on a cross to bear the judgment for our sin, and He was risen from the dead to become our eternal Lord and Savior.

In Acts 2, Peter preached to a crowd of Israelites of their guilt in crucifying the Son of God. By the Holy Spirit, they were stripped bare before the Word of God, pierced to the heart, and completely convicted of their sin. Hopeless in guilt, they cried out, “What shall we do?” to which Peter answered, “Repent.” (Acts 2:37-38) We are in the same situation as these Israelites. We have crucified Jesus with our sin- our sin of unbelief. We’ve rejected Jesus as Lord so that we can be lord over our own lives apart from God. (Jn 16:9) Peter’s admonishment to his hearers is meant for us as well. We must repent of our unbelief and believe in Jesus Christ in our hearts. The Lord is merciful. The Holy Spirit helps us see that Jesus is the incomparably precious treasure worth more than anything in the world. (Matt 13:44) He is God incarnate, who came to die for our sins, and be raised for our justification. The gospel is the believer’s power, because it is the power of God for salvation. To believe in Jesus in your heart is to love Him. Our love for the risen Lord causes us to see the world for what it is, in its darkness and sin. Our hope is no longer in the world, but in Christ alone.

Those who were converted by the Holy Spirit after hearing Peter’s message became the first church in the book of Acts. They lived by the grace of Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, set apart from the world. (2Cor 2:15; 1Cor 1:2) In the midst of persecution, believers renounced their lives by being baptized, publicly confessing faith in Jesus Christ. They continually devoted themselves to gathering together with fellow believers. This must be evident in the church today. True believers desire to gather together to experience fellowship, teaching, breaking of bread, and prayer. To the Christian, there is nothing in the world that can compare to these things. We are a people who have been called out by God to be His heavenly family. (Matt 12:50) We are the living church, and Christ is the head who leads us as our loving Shepherd. (Col 1:18) God has chosen each individual to be a member of His church. There is no one who is insignificant, but each member is essential to one another to grow as the body of Christ.

Love for the church is the first sign of those who have been born again in the risen Lord. Do you have a constant desire to come together with fellow believers? Let us examine ourselves, repent, and renew our devotion to the risen Lord and His church.