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PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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God does not want us to miss out on the truth concerning the work and person of Jesus Christ. To make sure that we pay attention, the Lord has, is, and will continue to act in ways that demonstrate his reality and necessity to all those who will receive this truth. This was the point made by the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Peter, as he continued his message to those gathered around him on the day of Pentecost. 

22  “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 

(Acts 2:22-24 NIV11)

Imagine the scene before the Apostle Peter. 

There were thousands of people who had been in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration only a few weeks earlier. They knew all about Jesus of Nazareth. He was easily the most famous man in the land and his death on a Roman cross at the insistence of the Jewish leaders was all the talk. 

These people hear the sound of the rushing wind, witness the movement of the Spirit of God as the disciples spoke the praises of God in unison, and in the native tongue of each person present. 

Then, out of this awe-inspiring but confusing scene comes this man named Peter. He speaks to the crowd about how what they are seeing and experiencing is a gift of God and a fulfillment of prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah. 

Accredited

As we read above, Peter then moved on to speak directly to the people about what they witnessed in their time spent with Jesus of Nazareth. The majority of the people gathered in that place had not only heard of Jesus of Nazareth, but they knew someone who had experienced the aftereffects of his miraculous works. 

If they had not been directly affected by Jesus, someone near them had probably been healed, cleansed of an evil spirit, or they bore witness to one of the many amazing signs and wonders that came from the ministry of Jesus. 

As Peter makes clear, the purpose behind all of these works was to help others see the true nature of who Jesus of Nazareth really was. Jesus did not heal only the physical body of those seeking him; he helped them to see the truth about his nature and purpose. 

Verse 23 is a hammer. 

Listen again to what Peter, led by the Holy Spirit, said to all those standing before him that day, “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.”

There is so much that could be said about this statement: allow me to summarize the points that stand out to me:

•   Yes, you people put Jesus on the cross. 
•   Yes, Jesus was the Messiah. 
•   Yes, you should be worried. 
•   But… Don’t pretend that you thwarted God’s plans. 
•   Jesus died willingly because this was the will of the Father. 
•   Jesus died on that cross so that you could be forgiven of even this atrocity. 
•   God’s will always wins, even when we do our best to fight it. 

Resurrection

In verse 24, we heard this amazing truth: “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”

In the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, we see his power and authority on display. As the promised Messiah and Lord, Jesus cannot be mastered. He rules over all things, even the one thing that eventually defeats every person on earth, no matter their supposed importance in this life. 

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden 

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Senior Pastor at PARK HILL BAPTIST CHURCH

Worked at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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