Knowing is Not Enough
The Day of Pentacost has come and the apostles have been empowered by the Holy Spirit as they waited in the upper room - Peter goes on to tell the story of all that Christ did and what he really came to do - & although they may try to wipe their hands of it, they are responsible
1) The people's First response is that there hearts are cut
He uses David's words to show them that that which they had been waiting for (all their lives and the lives of their forefather's) was the Christ the Messiah had come and been killed by their own hands.
- We like to try to go back in time to undo wrongs we have done. As children we made mistakes and lied to our parents to save our hides and felt like we got away with it and did indeed save ourselves and spared ourselves from the rode when we have only convicted ourselves of more wrong doing. And years later when we feel we are to old to be chastized in the same way that we feared, we might go back to our parents and say, "remember the time when... well, I did it and I was afraid to admit to it." And if this has been you then you know what their response is, "I knew you did, but I needed to wait until you were ready to repent for that wrong and admit to it." You see, now that there has been repentance there is space for forgiveness and restoration of the relationship, there is no more obstacle of wrong doing that we have committed and have tried to hide from God.
2) Peter tells the people that they must repent and be baptized that they can recieve the Holy Spirit.
Just as they publically and emphatically commited to their wrongdoing, just as we publically and often enough emphatically commit to our wrongdoing, we ought to do so when we accept the Christ.
- It is not required as we see in the example of the thief on the cross who was crucified next to Him on that day on Golgatha, whom the Christ promised would be with Him that day in Paradise.
It does not wash away your sins either as we see in the example of the Christ. He was baptized and He was always without sin.
On that day with John the Baptist He made a punlic profession of the Faith that He had and has in His relationship with the Father; what is more important still is that the Father opened the Heavens and answered his profession by saying to all who were present who He was to Him.
It was not because on this day the Christ became His son or that on this day something changed that they had not already known, but because the Christ made a public profession of what He knew to be true in the baptism The Father was able to do the same.
3) We ought to do the same if we are ever afforded the opportunity to do so.
The word reads that if we are ashamed of Him today then He will be ashamed of us before the Father.
Challenge The Father and see if when you speak and act publically on the faith if He does not speak and act publically on you.
It is not enough to just know the truth of God but we ought to act accordingly.
There ought to be some change in your life when you accept Him. There ought to be something different about you.
If you go to worship and go the Father everyday and nothing is different then you have wasted your time. Faith without works is fruitless.
Act.
Created about 1 year ago
