The Precious Blood Of Jesus

I Peter 1:17-23

We see in movies and on TV shows scenes where a family is contacted with instructions of how to pay a ransom in order to get a loved one back.  It is usually a large amount of money that needs to be paid.  These scenes don’t only happen in movies, but sometimes in real life, as well.  What will they use to pay the ransom to redeem their loved one?  They might or might not have enough money in the bank.  If they had silver or gold coins, that might cover the ransom.  Perhaps some exquisite and valuable jewelry.  However, no one would think that blood could pay a ransom!  Our Scripture today tells of a ransom that was paid in just that, in blood.  It was paid in not just any blood, but the Blood of the Son of God.

The word “redeem” means to buy back.  It is money that is spent to buy back something, often of a person who might have been kidnapped, maybe taken as a prisoner of war, a hostage, or captured and made a slave.  In our Scripture today, the Apostle Peter used the word “redeem” to refer to the price paid to buy the freedom of one in bondage to sin.

As we read in the opening chapters of the Bible, mankind came under the bondage of sin when they listened to Satan and disobeyed God.  God did not want to leave us in this condition.  He loves us too much to do that.  So what did He do?  God redeemed us from the tyranny of sin, but not with money.  Instead, He redeemed us with the precious Blood of His Son.

What is the price of sin?  As we read in the Book of Romans, the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).  When mankind chose to follow sin, the result was death.  What could bring remission from that sin?  God’s Word tells us that only the shedding of blood brings remission from sin (Hebrews 9:22).  We are also told that the blood of bulls and goats, the animals typically used in sacrifices, could not truly bring this forgiveness (Hebrews 10:4), instead it had to be the blood of someone who had never sinned themselves.  That could only be from Jesus, the Son of God.  The most precious commodities on earth could not redeem fallen man.  The things of this earth are all corruptible.  Even though some things, like gold, silver, and precious jewels may last a very long time, they will all eventually perish (vs. 18).  Not the Blood of Jesus!  That, alone, could pay the price.

Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins was not an afterthought, or something that God decided to do when the world spun out of control.  This plan was set in motion by the all-knowing, eternal God, long before the world was created (vs. 20).  In eternity past, before Adam and Eve sinned, God planned the redemption of sinners through Jesus Christ.  And though those who sent Jesus to the cross may have thought they were executing Him, the death of Jesus was not an execution or an assassination, but rather it was a sacrifice, the offering of Himself for our sins.  And His resurrection was guaranteed because He atoned for our sin, He paid the full price.

Today, in an overwhelming majority of churches, we do not hear much from the pulpit about the Blood of Jesus.  Today’s Christian culture desires a sanitized version of salvation.  They talk about the grace, forgiveness, and love of God, but rarely mention the Blood of Jesus.  That disturbs people’s senses.  They think it sounds ugly and brutal.  The crucifixion and death of Jesus was ugly and brutal, but that was the cost, the only cost, that could redeem us!  That is the only basis for our salvation.  Because God is righteous and just, He cannot love sinners into heaven, or forgive them just because they ask.  Sin has to receive a punishment, and the punishment is death.  God provided a sinless substitute, His Son, Jesus Christ.  His Blood bought our salvation.

Many people want to remove the Blood from Christianity and from any talk in the modern church.  Few modern Christian songs mention the Blood of Jesus, and no one sings the hymns that speak of His Blood.  When someone removes the blood from a body, you have only a lifeless corpse.  Remove the Blood of Jesus from the Bible and all you will have is only historical literature.  As the great old hymn says, “What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.  What can make me whole again?  Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.”  The Apostle Peter knew that the Blood of Jesus was precious!  If we would hold the price of the ransom of a loved one dear, how much more should we hold dear what was paid to redeem our souls from an eternal hell, the precious Blood of Jesus!

What God Holds Precious

Psalm 116

Do you have anything that you consider precious?  Most people have something in their home or life that they consider invaluable, priceless, and irreplaceable.  These items, and often people, are very important to them.  We call them precious.  Does God have anything that is precious to Him?  In our psalm for this week we read about something that God’s Word, the Bible, says is precious to the Lord.

Psalm 116 is another one of the psalms where we do not know who the author was.  Some people like to call them the “orphan” psalms.  Whoever the author was, it was quite possible that he had recently recovered from a terrible illness, one where he almost died.  Perhaps he had a terrible accident, or was in some very dire situation.  Whatever the specifics were with the author, he clearly stated that it brought him to the brink of death (vs. 3, 8).

As a believer who loved and trusted in Yahweh, our psalmist cried out to the Lord in prayer for deliverance or for healing.  In the past he had called upon God for help, and had received an answer to his prayer, so he knew from experience that God is a prayer-answering God.  God is responsive, and we can always reach Him.  He is near, listening carefully to every prayer, and answering each prayer with His best for us.

God did hear the psalmist’s prayers for help, and brought him the healing or aid he needed.  Reminding ourselves of God’s kindness and faithfulness in the past is a practical comfort and help to us in the present.  Reminding ourselves about God’s goodness can keep us filled with His peace.

What about, though, those times when we pray for either ourselves or others, and we don’t get the healing or deliverance we ask for?  What about when we pray for a loved one for their healing, desperately pray, and yet they die?  Or we pray for deliverance from a terrible situation a loved one is in, maybe even for a missionary who is being terribly persecuted for the Faith, and things go from bad to worse?  Doesn’t God care about them?  Why would He let your beloved parent, or other relative or friend die?  They were such good and faithful Christians!  Why didn’t the Lord bring deliverance and help to that missionary who was being persecuted, perhaps even tortured?

Often God does not give us an answer why one prayer for healing is answered, and another one isn’t, but that never means that He doesn’t love or care for that person, or that the person is being punished for some sin.  Deep within our psalm today God reveals a truth to us that we can hold on to, and that is that when a believer dies, whether it is from illness, accident, martyrdom, or just plain old age, their death is “precious” to Him (vs. 15).

Believers are precious to God.  They are His special treasure, just like that precious item in your home that you hold dear.  Maybe it is a special book, some irreplaceable photos, some heirloom jewelry, maybe some love letters.  They are dear to you.  They are precious.  God’s Word says that we are precious to God.  He carefully chooses the time when we will be called into His presence.  Each and every life is valuable to Him.  So though the life of the psalmist was spared, and the lives of many other sick people are spared, don’t ever think that when they are not, it is because God didn’t care about them.  Their death is no light matter to God.  It is of great importance and consequence to Him.  Precious (costly, highly valued, worth a lot) in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.

As we look back over our psalm, we see how the author went from the pit to the pinnacle, from agony to ecstasy.  It began in the dark valley of sorrow and grief, but ends with a magnificent statement of praise.  It is a personal testimony of how God brought him through distress, sorrow, and grief, to where he gives the Lord thanks.  But we are also reminded that if we, or a loved one, does not come through healed and safe on the other side, that we are always precious, valuable, and loved in God’s sight.

Three Thousand Souls Were Added

Acts 2:36-47

Last week, the first Scripture reading from the Lectionary for the Sunday after Easter was the Apostle Peter’s first sermon message to the crowds which gathered in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.  He brought a message to the folks, giving Scripture backing of how Jesus, who they had handed over to be executed, had risen from the dead, and was truly the Messiah.  How was that message received by the crowd?  Were they receptive?  Were they angry with Peter for making them feel accountable for their sins?  Or were they merely indifferent, seeking to just go about their day?  Let’s look into the response to Peter’s message, and the beginnings of the Christian Church as the second chapter to Acts closes out.

As noted last week, Peter had never given a sermon before.  By trade, he was a fisherman, and probably did not have more than just the basic education a working-class boy in Israel would have had.  Peter had not been taught by the great rabbis in Jerusalem, been to seminary, or had multiple university degrees.  Yet here he was that day of Pentecost, following the descent of the Holy Spirit upon him and his fellow believers, giving a sermon to the multitudes about how they had crucified Jesus, their Messiah (vs. 36).  These were many of the same people, who only a few weeks earlier had stood before Pontius Pilate when he brought the scourged and beaten Jesus out, and had screamed for Pilate to “Crucify Him!”.  Would they turn on him in a similar way?  Would they seek out the Pharisees and other religious leaders to have Peter arrested for speaking such words?

As we continue reading, many of the people in the crowds were “cut to the heart” (vs. 37).  The Holy Spirit used the words, rather strong words, that Peter preached to bring the people under conviction for what they had done.  Many had been part of the mob screaming for Jesus to die.  Some might have even seen Him on the cross.  Over the past few weeks, many may have heard the rumors that Jesus had risen from the dead.  Now Peter had preached a message about just that, how God raised Him from the dead, how this fulfilled prophecy from the Scriptures, that those prophecies did not refer to David, but to Jesus.  They had crucified their Messiah!  What were they to do now?  Had they committed an unforgivable sin?  Were they now forever doomed?

When Peter heard their response, wanting to know what they could do after having committed such a sin as crucifying their Messiah, he told them to repent, to be saved (vs. 38-40).  To repent is to completely forsake and turn away from sin.  If they did that, if they believed that Jesus truly was the Messiah and had died for their sins, they could be saved.

Peter urged those who did accept Jesus as their Savior to be baptized (vs. 38).   The words in this verse, “for the remission of sins” should really be translated and read because of the remission of sins.  Baptism does not save anyone.  It is an act of obedience.  By being baptized we publicly are identifying as a Christian.  A believer is baptized with water because one’s sins have already been forgiven when one accepts Jesus as Savior.  Baptism doesn’t bring forgiveness.  Repentance brings forgiveness and salvation, which then makes the believer ready to publicly be baptized, publicly identifying with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some people might wonder, and even believe, that they have sinned too much or too deeply to ever be forgiven.  Years ago a Christian friend once told me that he had witnessed several times to a prominent baseball sportscaster, who said that he would love to come to Christ, but believed he had sinned way too much for Jesus to ever accept him.  That sportscaster later died, probably unsaved because he falsely believed he had sinned too much to be saved.  Yet here we read that even those who had played a role in the actual crucifixion of Jesus could be saved.  Since He forgave and saved them, there is no sin, other than unbelief, that God won’t forgive.

That day about 3,000 people were saved! (vs. 41).  God used the words of Peter, a humble fisherman, to lead these people to salvation in the Lord Jesus.  It didn’t take a well-crafted, seminary taught five-point sermon.  It took just someone who used his Bible and depended upon the Holy Spirit to work through him.  It took someone who spoke the truth, rather than tickling the ears of the crowd, and 3,000 people were saved!  And in the days that followed, more and more were saved, as well (vs. 47).  What can God do through us if we are willing to be used by Him, as Peter was?

The Nail Prints In His Hands

John 20:19-31

One U.S. state, Missouri, has the nickname “The Show-Me State”.  Supposedly, at least the nickname might indicate, the residents of Missouri are a skeptical group, not easily convinced, and must see something before they believe.  This describes the Apostle Thomas rather well.  Our Scripture for today tells of a memorable account in Thomas’ life, one where he followed Missouri’s nickname.  He might easily have been given honorary citizenship in that state!

After the arrest of Jesus, the eleven apostles fled in fear.  The Apostle John must have returned, as the Gospels record him being at the foot of the cross when Jesus died.  However, the others disappeared throughout Jerusalem.  They must have been in touch with each other, as when word spread the following Sunday morning that the women had found Jesus’ tomb empty, they gathered together.  That is, all of them except for Thomas.  This is where our Scripture reading from John’s Gospel picks up.

The evening of the day of Jesus’ Resurrection, ten of the apostles were gathered together in a room, possibly the same room that the Last Supper had been held.  Jesus then came and stood in the group, and gave them His blessings of peace (vs. 19-23).  Unfortunately Thomas was not among them, and we know that the betrayer, Judas, had already committed suicide.  We might wonder why Thomas was not with the others that night.  Though the Bible does not specify, perhaps he was just so depressed and discouraged from all of the events that past Friday when Jesus was crucified, that he preferred to be alone.  Some people desire to be alone when they are so despondent and depressed, and Thomas was probably one like that.  He also might have been afraid of the religious leaders who might have decided to arrest all of Jesus’ disciples.

During the week, Thomas was told by the others that not only had the women seen Jesus, but that they had as well.  Thomas, though, did not believe them.  Not only did he not believe them, but he was so skeptical that he said that he would not believe unless he actually put his fingers into the scars of the nail holes in Jesus’ hands! (vs. 24-25).

One week later the group was gathered together again, and this time Thomas was with them.  Jesus appeared again to give them His blessing of peace (vs. 26).  And this time Jesus called Thomas over to personally see the wounds in His hands and side (vs. 27).  I don’t believe that Jesus said this in an angry or scolding way.  I think that He said it with love.  And Thomas responded with a declaration of faith, not only in Jesus as his Lord, but also belief that Jesus was God, was divine, and part of the Trinity (vs. 28).

When faced with fear and uncertainty, do we trust God’s unseen sovereignty and His personal care for us, or do we fall apart?  We need to walk by faith, and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7).   We need to believe and trust our Shepherd and Guide completely.  We should live, not only by what we see, but also by what God’s Word tells us.  God will guide us through all trouble.

When all believers get to heaven, any scars that we have will be gone.  Any scars from surgery or accidents will be gone, along with any deformities.  However, there is Someone there who will still have scars upon His Body, and that is the Lord Jesus.  Jesus will bear the scars of our sins for all eternity, scars that He received when He paid the price for our sins upon the cross.  When Jesus appeared to the apostles, including Thomas, that day, He showed them the nail holes in His hands as evidence of who He is, and the love He has given.  They prove Jesus to be the Savior, and tell the story of our salvation.  We are engraved as scars in Jesus’ hands (Isaiah 49:16).

In closing, we have all the proof we need that Jesus has risen, and that He is the Messiah, the Son of God, written in the Words of the Bible, and in the testimony of believers (vs. 30-31).  Trust God!  Look beyond what we can see to what He sees.  See in those nail prints in His hands the deep love that Jesus has for you!

Hope In A Heavenly Inheritance

I Peter 1:3-9

Have you ever had a deep hope or desire for something that you really wanted to happen or come about, but then it didn’t?  Your deep wish was dashed and shattered.  Perhaps it left you rather devastated for a while.  Maybe it did come to pass, but it ended up not being quite as wonderful as you had wished.  That can leave you rather down, as well.  Perhaps you see all your hopes and wishes for the future come crashing down.  Your confidence and trust take quite a beating.  Our Scripture today shares with us about a hope that we can have that is certain.  It is an inheritance, and something that we can depend on.  Let’s take a look at this promise of God.

Our New Testament Scripture for this week comes from a letter that the Apostle Peter wrote to believers.  In these verses today Peter shares with us about a living hope that he has, and we can have too, one that came to us through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  Peter knew what it felt like to have one’s hope shattered and destroyed.  For over three years he had followed Jesus as a faithful disciple, and came to believe that He was the Messiah.  Then the unthinkable happened.  Jesus was betrayed by one of his fellow disciples, arrested, beaten and scourged, and then brutally executed on the cross.  Everything Peter had hoped for and believed in was crushed.  However, the third day after the crucifixion, everything was turned around when Jesus rose from the dead!  Jesus was resurrected, and because of this, Peter and all of us have a living hope.

The word “hope” in Biblical usage is not just wishful thinking, as is a common, everyday definition of the word.  In Biblical terminology, hope is a confident optimism.  We can have assured hope, knowing that what God has promised us will most assuredly come to pass.  As Peter shares with us today, we have a living hope in eternal life with Him (vs. 3).  We have this assurance because of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Because Jesus is alive, we have a living hope.  The resurrection of Jesus guarantees that God will honor all of His promises.

God provides us with salvation because He is a merciful God (vs. 3).  We have this gift of salvation, not because we are such wonderful people who deserve this from God.  We are actually wretched sinners who don’t deserve any mercy, but God gave us mercy because He loves us, and gives a place in heaven to all those who come to Him through Jesus.

The Lord promises all believers an inheritance that He is reserving for us in heaven, one which He is guarding for us.  Some people have been given a nice inheritance from a wealthy relative, or even a friend or benefactor.  Sometimes, though, that inheritance might end up being damaged or destroyed.  Money may have been put in some type of stocks or financial account, and a downturn in the economy brings a big loss.  Physical items can end up becoming damaged, destroyed, or stolen.  This will not be the case with any inheritance we have from our Heavenly Father (vs. 4-5).  We can look past any troubles we have, and look to our eternal inheritance.  Our inheritance is God’s presence, joy, perfection, and eternal rewards.  This inheritance is incorruptible.  It will not pass away or decay.  It is undefiled and not stained with evil.  It does not fade away.  Unlike an earthly inheritance, this will last forever.

No one, including Satan, can steal the treasure God has for us (vs. 5).  Saving faith is permanent.  It never dies.  No matter what we may endure during our lifetime, our souls cannot be harmed if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior.

Our hope is not only for the future.  Eternal life begins when we trust Jesus.  No matter what trials we face in this life, we know it is not our final experience (vs. 6).  Trials do not last forever.  They serve a purpose, but should not diminish our joy.  God allows trouble to test the reality and genuineness of our faith (vs. 7).  How would we ever learn to trust God if we never experienced a situation where only He could help us?  All faith is tested, and great faith is tested greatly.  Jesus uses everything that touches our lives for our good and for His glory.

In closing, we should not put our hope in something lifeless, like money, a job, property, or a myriad of other physical things.  Put your trust in Jesus.  He is not lifeless.  He is alive.  In Him we have an inheritance, we have strength, and we have eternal life.

The Rejected Stone

Psalm 118:19-24

When something has been dismissed or written off by the critics, that doesn’t mean that it will be completely rejected.  Oftentimes the movies that the critics have given bad reports end up being a box-office hit.  Literary critics denounce a new book, but that same book becomes a bestseller.  In our psalm for this week we read a prophecy of a specific thing that some authorities rejected, but ended up being most important.

The psalm for this week after Easter is a brief portion from a moderately longer psalm.  The verse where we pick up the psalm speaks of the Lord opening up to us the gates of righteousness (vs. 19-20).  The gates of righteousness are not literal gates, such as what was found at various points in the walls that surrounded the city of Jerusalem and other cities in Biblical times.  The gates of righteousness are spiritual gates through which the righteous pass.  This is the entryway which leads to the presence of the Lord.

Due to our sinful nature, we cannot enter through these gates on our own.  Our sins keep us out.  However, when someone accepts the Lord Jesus as their Savior, they receive His righteousness, the righteousness of the sinless Son of God.  We become clothed in a robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10).  Because believers now have the righteousness of Jesus, the gates of righteousness which were once closed, are now opened for them.  This is the “narrow gate” that Jesus told us to enter in by (Matthew 7:13-14), the gate which leads to life, rather than the broad way which leads to destruction.

Now we come to our key verses of our Scripture, verses 22 and 23.  A cornerstone is the most important stone in the building.  It is the first stone laid when constructing a building, and all other stones are set in reference to it.  It will determine the position of the whole structure.  In the past, builders were very careful where the cornerstone was laid, as everything else had to be lined up with it.  In the New Testament we read a lot of how Jesus is the Cornerstone, and how the Church is built up upon Him (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Jesus, Himself, emphasized these verses when He told the Pharisees a parable of the vineyard (Matthew 21:33-46).  In that parable, Jesus told how the owner of the vineyard sent many servants to the workers to receive the produce, but the workers beat and killed them.  Then the owner sent his son, who they immediately took and killed.  Jesus then made reference to our psalm and the verses about the cornerstone.  These verses in Psalm 118 were a prophecy of Jesus, and the Pharisees who heard this parable knew that it was a reference to Him.  Jesus was that rejected cornerstone.  The Jews rejected Jesus who came to deliver the nation.

Just because some who seem to be in authority have rejected something or someone doesn’t mean that it is actually truly rejected.  The Pharisees rejected Jesus.  They rejected Him as the Messiah, and actually turned Him over to be killed.  However, as the Apostle Peter preached, God made Jesus, whom they crucified, both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).  On another occasion, when the Jewish religious leaders arrested Peter and John for healing a crippled man, they preached how he was healed by the Name of Jesus, who God made the chief cornerstone (Acts 4:8-12).  Although Jesus was rejected, He is now the Cornerstone, the most important part of the building, the Church.  The Church is built upon Him, and our lives are to be lined up with the Savior.

As our Scripture passage from our psalm this week closes, we read a familiar verse in verse 24, one that calls upon us to rejoice and be glad in the day the Lord gives us.  This is one verse that I often say upon waking up.  God has given us a new day, filled with opportunities to serve Him.  If we get run down in spirit, we can repeat this verse. It is effective in driving off depression and discouragement.  Even when we don’t feel like it, we need to realize that God has given us the day to live and serve Him, so rejoice!

The Church's First Sermon

Acts 2:14, 22-32

Following the Church calendar, today is the first Sunday following Easter, or Resurrection Sunday.  For the next several weeks the first reading from the Lectionary for each Sunday takes us to the Book of Acts.  Today we look at the first sermon that the Apostle Peter gave, following the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.  Let’s take a look at this first sermon by Peter, and actually, the first sermon in the Christian Church.

If Peter had been asked just a few days earlier to give a sermon to several thousand people, he possibly might have said absolutely not, that he certainly wasn’t qualified.  Prior to this day, Peter had been unstable and filled with bravado, and then he had shamefully denied the Savior.  But Jesus forgave, and now Peter was a new man with the power of the Holy Spirit.  Peter might also have felt unqualified since he didn’t have any advanced education in the Scriptures.  Like all Hebrew men, he had a basic education, knowing how to read and write, and probably basic arithmetic, etc.  But none of the twelve apostles had studied with the great Jewish rabbis and scholars.

However, everything changed when the Holy Spirit descended upon the believers and followers of Jesus.  The Holy Spirit opened the Scriptures to them, and gave them power to bring His message to those in Jerusalem and throughout the world.  This morning in Jerusalem, Peter, through the power of the Holy Spirit, was enabled to boldly proclaim God’s truth to the crowds of people who had gathered around.

This first sermon of Peter’s was to state that Jesus was both God and the Messiah, which was proven through His works and the resurrection (vs. 22).  Many of the people gathered around that morning had known about the crucifixion of Jesus just a few weeks prior, and they might also have heard the rumors that He had risen from the dead.  The overwhelming majority of the Pharisees and religious leaders, along with many of the population, didn’t approve of Jesus.  That is the same today, as most people don’t approve of Him.  However, Jesus was approved by God, as the Father worked many miracles, wonders and signs through Him (vs. 22).

Peter reminded the people of the crucifixion of Jesus just a month prior.  He stated that the crucifixion wasn’t just an accident or unfortunate ending to a teacher hated by the religious leaders, but instead was part of God’s plan (vs. 23).  It was the plan of God that Jesus would die on the cross.  It should not, though, have been the religious leaders and Jewish priests of Israel to do this.  That was their own making and choice.  That the crucifixion was predetermined by God does not absolve the guilt of those who caused it.  However, God’s mercy, love, and forgiveness is so great that He would forgive and save even those directly involved in crucifying Jesus if they would only have come to Him.

The apostle continued on to show that the rumors about Jesus having risen were not just a rumor, but was the truth.  Death could not hold Jesus because He atoned for all sin.  Jesus took away its legal right to hold Him because His death atoned for sin, defeating death and Satan.  Jesus’ resurrection was the ultimate sign that what He said about Himself was true.  Without the resurrection we would have no reason to believe in or follow Jesus (I Corinthians 15:14).

Peter continued with this first message of his by quoting from Psalm 16:8-11, which was written by their national hero, the great King David (vs. 25-28).  In this psalm that was written about a thousand years earlier, David prophesied of the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, speaking of how the Holy One, the Messiah’s body would not see corruption.  Those who hated Jesus, and willfully closed their eyes to any prophecies that He fulfilled, were claiming that these verses referred to David himself.  Peter easily refuted that, by reminding the people that David was dead and buried right there in Jerusalem (vs. 29).  David’s body had never been raised.  It remained in the tomb, so he could not be the fulfillment of this prophecy.  Jesus’ physical body, being sinless, saw no corruption.  Instead, it was raised from the dead and glorified.

David knew that God would keep His oath and every promise that He had made.  He believed the Messiah would come, and that every prophecy, every word given about Him would be fulfilled, including that His body would not see corruption, and that He would rise from the dead.  Peter boldly proclaimed that this prophecy about the Messiah was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  God approved of Jesus’ work on the cross, and the fact that He raised Jesus from the dead shows that (vs. 32).

Next week’s first Scripture reading from the Lectionary will show us the people’s response to this first message in the Christian Church era.  We’ll see then if they accepted or rejected God’s Word that Peter gave to them.