Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 13
38 “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. 39 Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do. 40 Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said,
41 ‘Look, you mockers,
be amazed and die!
For I am doing something in your own day,
something you wouldn’t believe
even if someone told you about it.’”
38 “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. 39 Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do. 40 Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said,
41 ‘Look, you mockers,
be amazed and die!
For I am doing something in your own day,
something you wouldn’t believe
even if someone told you about it.’”
Commentary:
13:38–39 freed. The Greek (dikaioō) is often translated “justified” and means “to declare innocent, to justify.” Jews sought to deal with their sin through living by the law of Moses. But the law cannot free a person from sin, not only because all people fail to keep it but also because it was never designed to bring about effective atonement for sins (Gal. 3:10–14; Heb. 10:1–14); only the one who believes in Christ and his saving sacrifice is free from sin and acceptable to God.
Questions:
- Paul preached a sermon that covered the entirety of the Old Testament leading up to Christ. He referred to Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, Malachi... he pretty much covered everything! All this to make his case that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. Some teachers today suggest that in order to reach people for Jesus today we must unhitch our message from the Old Testament. But Paul seemed to have the opposite mindset. In order to fully grasp the richness and fullness of the Gospel, we must know the Old Testament. Have you ever been guilty of gravitating towards only the New Testament in your Bible studies? What's holding you back from studying the Old Testament? What might you be missing?
- In verse 26, Paul brings it all home. He clearly makes the case that Jesus did for us what the Law could not do. The Law is like a mirror... it shows us where we fall short. But it does little to remedy the problem. Much like an X-ray or MRI can reveal where the issues are, but they can't fix them. The Law reveals, but it can't remedy. In Jesus alone can our sins be forgiven and can we be made right with a holy and righteous God. Your standing in Him cannot be earned. Is there any pressure relieved in you to realize this truth? Are you ever tempted to try to earn God's love and favor by your performance? How might you begin to rest in His perfect grace?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would have the discipline to become a student of the Old Testament, not just the New.
- That you would rest in the grace of God.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
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