“When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.””
Acts 3:26 (NLT)
After Peter explains to his fellow Jews what they’ve done, he also shows them the way back. He tells them how they can receive salvation from God so that God’s presence can dwell with them through Jesus. And he teaches them in a way they would understand: what he’s preaching isn’t new. It was promised.
Peter points them back through the Old Testament, to the prophets, and then to Moses. Moses told them that God would raise up a prophet like Moses from among the Israelites, and he told his people to listen carefully to everything this prophet says. Moses also warned that anybody who did not listen to that prophet, who was Jesus, would be completely cut off from God’s people.
Then Peter lands it right here in Acts 3:26. When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent Jesus first to the people of Israel, as a blessing. And the blessing wasn’t just information. The blessing was turning. God wants each and every one of us to turn back from our sinful ways.
When I see “sinful ways” in the plural, I think about how there wasn’t just one thing Jesus rebuked the Jews for in Matthew 23. There were numerous ways they needed to turn from, and some were still resistant because they loved their evil ways. Today I pray that as God has sent his message to you, you repent and turn to receive the blessing that this turning brings. Receive the word of the Lord. Rest in it, trust it, live from it, and experience what God intended for you through Jesus’ sacrifice, because he loves you.
It’s been on my heart lately to turn away from some worldly things, and this right here.. gave me the confirmation I needed. You and your family are truly a blessing to me.
You are a blessing to us! Thank you for letting us know how God is using the message in your life. His Word isn’t just something we read — it’s something we live — and I’m thankful for the work He’s doing in you.