I was reading today in Acts 2 & 3 and came across two reminders of one of those truths that is difficult to understand and even more difficult to admit...
First see if you can see it in a part of Peter's sermon at Pentecost...
Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;
Do you see it there? It is easier to see in Peter's next sermon on Solomon's Portico...
Acts 3:14-15, 18-19 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses... But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
The Scripture teaches us that the death of Christ was 100% the plan of God from the beginning. It was His idea and took place perfectly according to events that He orchestrated. The Scripture also tells us that the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus' day were responsible for the crucifixion of Christ, that they were wrong in their actions, and they needed to repent!
At first glance those two things don't seem to go together. Was the crucifixion the plan of God or the result of the sin of the religious leaders? Well... both!
What do we learn from this? God is sovereign! I am responsible for my actions!
Any attitude, action, or belief we have that denies either of those truths is wrong.
I pray, Lord, that I will always be reminded of your sovereignty and always mindful of my responsibility. That I will pray to You because you are in control, and I will serve and sacrifice because I am responsible.
Pastor Noel
