Category: Devotions

Acts 2: 38

Peter replied,
a) Repent
b) and be baptised,
c) every one of you,
d) in the name of Jesus Christ
e) for the forgiveness of your sins.
f) And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

a) To lower yourself down you must first turn around.
c) To lower yourself down is for all but you make the journey alone.
d) To lower yourself down makes His name known.
e) To lower yourself down will release a new divine identity.
f) To lower yourself down takes you to the place of receiving from above.
b) Lowering yourself down into baptism has many benefits.

Once baptised it is wise to continue the practice of lowering ourselves down.
Discipleship is not about being seen or being known or being up and on show.
Down is up.

Acts 2:37

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

At the beginning of Peter’s message the people were asking, “What does this mean?” At the end they asked, “What shall we do?”

Any sermon must take the hearer to the place of wanting to do something about what they have heard. For that to happen there needs to be a provocation of the heart.
Some sermons stimulate thoughts.
Others stimulate laughter. Still others stimulate impressive accolades for the oratory skill.
We need sermons which cut to the heart. Sermons that cause people to stop, to pause their journey, that reach into the centre of a person and their activity. A sermon that becomes everything. That demands a response. Where the only reply has to be “what shall we do?”

Acts 2: 36

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Peter brings his message to a conclusion:
“You sinned against the Messiah you have been expecting to come. You sinned against the person God appointed to be the Lord at His right hand, the Sovereign One.
This Jesus is who you have been looking for, the Messiah. And you killed him.
This Jesus has been made Lord by God himself.
Jesus, of earth and heaven. Messiah of earth, Lord of heaven. The one that earth longs for. The one that heaven adores.
Be assured. Be totally confident. The one you killed is the one you missed. You missed him. Though you killed him, he’s still alive as Lord and Christ. You cannot take from him who he is. No matter what you made of Jesus and you killed him. It’s what God makes that counts.”

And that’s still true for us today:
He is Lord and Christ. And everyone needs to bow at his feet.
And what is more:
Today the enemy of your life may have made something of you that you were never meant to be. He may have killed things, ended things, destroyed your dreams. But nonetheless it is what God makes that counts. The enemy may make something but stand back because God is making something of you far superior and far more glorifying and rewarding. He did it for Christ and He will do it for you.

Acts 2:35
… until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

“Until. Sit at my right hand until. Rest in the place of authority and position of strength. Whilst your resting I will bring every enemy of your life under control.
Every illness, every struggle and every difficult circumstance I will control and bring them under your feet. Like a conqueror with his feet on the neck of his enemy so will I do for you. It will happen.
It won’t be your effort or your strategy but it will be you sitting in my authority and power, trusting me to work for you, this will do it.”
Your God.

Acts 2:34

For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ” ‘The Lord said to my Lord:”Sit at my right hand…

Staying in Psalm 110 Peter shows how David was prophesying of the coming of Christ. Let me write it like this: David writes, “God said to my Christ, “Sit at my right hand …”

God said to David’s Lord (Jesus)

The position of Christ indicates His authority and His power.
The Bible refers to the right hand as a place of refuge and protection. A place where blessing is declared. A place of intercession. Where authority over all powers is established.
And where is Jesus, at the right hand.

Because Jesus is at God’s right hand then there is nothing you are facing today that He cannot help you through.
Call upon God’s right hand today to move in your life.

Acts 2:33

Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

The Spirit was poured out after and because Jesus was exalted.
The Spirit waits for Jesus to be glorified, lifted high, honoured and worshipped.
His presence will come as Jesus is praised.
The Spirit can be seen and heard. There are no hidden outpourings.

Lift Jesus high today and let the volume increase.

Acts 2:32

“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.”

This is the central truth for the church then and now.
Witnesses to an alive Jesus.
“We know.
We have seen Him.”

And today?
The world doesn’t want to hear of a way of life based upon a dead leader. It has many of these already.
People today need to know that you follow someone who is real and is actively alive today. They need a witness to that. A witness who is having a current relationship rather than with a book of rules.
A dynamic life not a dead religious belief.
It’s not enough to believe and declare Jesus is alive, people need to see the effect of that on your life.
Can they see Jesus alive in you?
Yes is the answer and today you are going to reveal that to many.

Acts 2:31
“Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay”.

David could see the resurrection of Christ happening and spoke of it.

Lets look ahead, beyond our circumstances and even our life-span.
Look ahead and see Christ.
See past your illness, challenge and difficulty and you will see Christ.
He is there ahead of you, resurrected, alive, overcoming.

If all you are seeing is negative then you are not looking ahead far enough. Look further you will see Him. You will see your Christ, your Saviour and God.

Acts 2:30

“But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.”

Peter is still building the case that Jesus is the Messiah. David knew he was a prophet. David knew the Messiah would be in his family line. David knew because he knew God had told him.

What do you know today?
Do you know who you are? Do you know you also are God’s spokesperson? That today your words are from Him. He is speaking through you.

What do you know today?
Do you know God’s promises to you? Are you holding on to these? Do they affect how you live your life?

What do you know today?
Have you hope for the future? Does your generational line contain the Messiah? They will indeed see Him.

Acts 2:29

“Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.”

Peter is answering any critic who might say that David wasn’t prophesying of Jesus not being abandoned in the grave, he was speaking of himself. Peter was saying he wasn’t because David’s tomb is here and it still is. He was speaking of Christ.
David’s tomb has evidence of death.
Jesus’ tomb has evidence of life!
As Peter spoke confidently so can we.
Jesus is alive!
When I visited the garden tomb in Jerusalem it was a memorable moment.
I was stirred by the thought that this is where he had walked and talked and been taken after the crucifixion.
But what gripped me was not that Jesus had been carried into the tomb but that Jesus had walked out of it!
David was taken in. Jesus walked out.
If I am surrendered to Him, if I have died to self, then I can walk out too.
Whatever comes my way, trouble, illness and even death itself, I know I will walk out as Jesus did and so will you.
Nothing will hold you back or finish you off. They can write whatever they want on your tombstone but you won’t be there, you will have walked out.
They can write you off because of illness and difficulties but you’re going to continue to walk through those valleys.
So join with me today, let’s keep walking.
Let people wonder where you are expecting you to be licking your wounds and dying in dignity. Let them be told that you’ve moved on, you walked out of there. Nothing will hold you back.