I am reading in Acts 3. Peter and John, on this occasion, had been instrumental in the healing of a man who was lame from birth. And all the people who were present saw the man who was lame now walking and praising God. And so Peter addressed the people, and he gave all the credit to the Lord Jesus for the healing of this man. But along with that Peter reminded the people that Jesus is the one they denied, and that they denied and they murdered “the Holy and Righteous One,” “the Author of Life,” who God the Father raised from the dead. And then he said this to them:
Acts 3:19-21 ESV
“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.”
Now, to repent means “to change one’s mind or purpose, to
change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of
God).” Also: “changed after being with” and “think differently after” (source:
biblehub.com). So, it is like you were walking left, and now you make a U-turn,
and you walk in the opposite direction (right). You were walking in sin, and
now you have turned, and you are walking in obedience to the Lord and in
holiness and in righteousness, in the power of God, by his Spirit.
And to have our sins blotted out requires that we first die
with Christ to sin and that we are raised to walk in newness of life in him, no
longer as slaves to sin but as slaves to God. For it means “wholly out from,”
to “completely remove,” “obliterate,” “remove totally from a previous state
with the outcome of being blotted out (erased).” So this isn’t just about
forgiveness. This is about delivering us out of a state of being enslaved to
sin to a state of walking in obedience to the Lord in walks of holiness and righteousness
(see Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesian 4:17-24; 1 Peter 2:24).
And the times of refreshing are the blessings of Jesus
Christ, the Messiah, the only begotten Son of God, who is also God. And these
blessings are to be enjoyed by us who have put our faith and trust in Jesus
Christ and who are living for him – blessings like forgiveness of sins, deliverance
from bondage to sin, an intimate relationship with God via faith in Jesus
Christ, empowerment of God to live holy lives, fruit of the Spirit in our
lives, and love, joy, and peace, etc. These are all the good things of God promised
to us who love him and who obey him.
So, Jesus Christ was appointed by God the Father for us,
i.e. he was “hand-picked before,” “divinely hand-picked” by God. Jesus Christ
(God the Son) was chosen of God from forever to be our sacrificial offering on
that cross to take away our sins and to give us new lives in Christ to be lived
for his glory. And the prophets of old foretold his coming, that he was the
anointed by God to take away the sins of the world.
But this “appointed by God” also refers to God’s sovereign
hand in choosing people to be His agents. So, we who are his followers are also
hand-picked by God to do the will of God for our lives. So we are to walk in
his ways and in his truth, and we are to be those who are teaching others to
obey the Lord and to walk in the ways of the Lord. And one day Jesus Christ is
going to return for his beloved, for his faithful bride who have continued
steadfast in faith in him, in walks of holiness and righteousness, and in
obedience to our Lord, and who have not continued in deliberate and habitual sin.
The Lord’s Anointed
An Original Work / December 16, 2011
Based off Isaiah 61
The Spirit of the
Sov’reign Lord on me;
Anointed to preach
the Good News;
Sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted;
Proclaim freedom for
the captives.
He sent me to preach
release for pris’ners
Who are walking in
sin’s darkness;
Proclaim God’s grace
to all men who’ll listen;
And tell them about
God’s judgments;
Comfort all who
mourn;
Give crowns of
beauty;
Oil of gladness and
thanksgiving.
They will be called
oaks of God’s righteousness,
A planting of our
Savior, God,
For the display of
our Lord’s splendor, and
They will rebuild
God’s holy church.
God will renew them,
and will restore them,
And you’ll be called
priests of the Lord.
You will be
ministers of our God, and
You will rejoice in
salvation.
The Lord loves justice;
He is faithful to
Reward those who are
seeking Him.
I delight greatly in
the Lord;
My soul rejoices in
my Savior, God.
He has clothed me
with His salvation,
And in a robe of His
righteousness.
He has given me
priestly garments to wear,
As the bride of
Jesus Christ.
As the garden of our
Lord and Savior,
He causes us to grow
in Him.
He makes
righteousness,
Praise, and
thanksgiving
Spring up before all
the nations.
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