The Promise to David Fulfilled
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Acts 2:29-40
29. "Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, 31. he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear. 34. For David did not ascend into the heavens; but he himself says, `The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, 35. till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.' 36. Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." 37. Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" 38. And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him." 40. And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation."
John the Baptist emphasized the importance of repentance, as did Jesus himself in his preaching and in his final instructions before he ascended to heaven. The baptism John performed was a sign of repentance alone—baptism by Christ represented not only repentance, but demonstrated belief in Jesus Christ. More than that, baptism in the name of Jesus offers us forgiveness of our sins. And one important element that was only possible because of Jesus’ death and resurrection: The Holy Spirit. While none of this is because of our baptism, our baptism into the faith symbolizes and demonstrates our faith and represents the wonderful gift of The Holy Spirit.
Peter speaks of David’s reverence in prophesying the coming Messiah. Through inspiration of the Spirit, David recognized how great and divine Jesus would be. No wonder he could not be silent! He must have carried a tremendous burden of responsibility—after all the future of God’s people lie in his hands, his heart! We, too, should bear that same burden—not for the future, but for the present. We are responsible for saving ourselves and others “from this crooked generation.”
We are to spread the good news of the Risen Lord! While we don’t perform baptisms, we can certainly lead others to desire baptism into the truth. While we aren’t prophets or apostles, we still have an obligation—and an honor and privilege—to be disciples of Jesus Christ. We cannot help but tell others about the wonderful gift of forgiveness through repentance. We cannot stop ourselves from testifying to the marvelous Helper sent to guide and sustain us until the end of time when Jesus comes again.
This world offers many temptations, distractions, and opportunities to forget our heritage as Christians. Through our faith in Christ we are all descendents of David. We should speak of Christ with equal reverence and awe. We should live out the message of God’s grace. Our lives should be a beacon for all who seek the way to Jesus. David did all of this with only the future promise—how can we do any less with the fulfillment of that promise!?
Repent, be forgiven, and receive the Holy Spirit. It’s that simple. Once we are baptized into the family of believers, our work begins in earnest. The hard part is really the repentance, I think. Everything after that, while challenging, perhaps sometimes even torturous, is an easy burden, a light yoke, because God is working out our salvation. We have faith that God is using us and everything we experience in our lives to prepare us for perfection in heaven. If we look at every difficulty in our lives as moving us one step closer to perfection, we can rejoice that God loves us that much, and had gifted us with the Holy Spirit through the journey.
Repent. Be forgiven. Receive the Holy Spirit. Work out your salvation. Long for the perfection God promises us through His amazing grace.
I hope you spend today working out your salvation, rejoicing that God is perfecting you for eternal life with Him.
Mary
