But what happens when his people become the villain.
What happens when God’s people gnash their teeth at the righteous and plot his demise.
What happened when God’s people killed God’s own son, Jesus Christ.
He saves them.
Peter pleaded with the Jews not too long after Jesus, God’s son, had died, was raised back to life and had returned to His father in Heaven. They had just witnessed a man be healed in the name of Jesus.
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, [ESTHER] the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.
“Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’
What began as a plot for revenge by the Jewish leaders is reversed into a plot of redemption, extended to all people.
The Bible says you and I were God’s enemies.
We were against our righteous, Creator. We sought our own destiny pushing others down to lift up ourselves. We were proud in our spirit. For some of us, the existence of God angered us to no end. It wasn’t enough to ignore him. We shook our fists at him and wished he was dead.
Romans 5:10 states
For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Jesus extends salvation to us.
Jesus offers us salvation not just through his death, but more so through his life. We are not saved for some point in the distant future. We are saved to live a new life NOW through Jesus and His Spirit.
Peter says: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord”
Christians, we are not off the hook. Do you claim to believe the good news of Jesus’ forgiveness and salvation but in your life you shrink back from living boldly in faith or live like maybe Jesus’ salvation isn’t enough or do you actively fight and suppress the work of God’s spirit in your life?
Hebrews, chapter 10, verse 29 warns:
How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Do not be content to simply wipe your brow and sigh, content in your own eternal safety. Like Esther and Mordecai and the Jews, go out and live and thrive and invite people to fear and love God through the gift of REDEMPTION offered to us by Jesus life, death and resurrection.
Elizabeth Elliot was a missionary to a South American tribe not far from where the Mayan were located 100s of years earlier. She tells us in her book Be Still My Soul that “according to the New Testament, saints are those who belong to Christ, in whom Christ lives. We are meant to be saints not only when we get to heaven, but right here in this world.”
For such a time as this, boldly speak to your classmate about your faith. For such a time as this, show patience, wisdom and compassion for the person who angrily dismisses your opinion just because you are a Christian. For such a time as this, use your time and your study and your privilege to best prepare for a life of serving God and loving your neighbour wherever God moves to position you in the world.
Jesus does not save us just for this one moment right now.
Jesus does not just save us FROM AN ETERNAL DEATH SEPARATED FROM GOD.
We are saved to LIVE.
We are saved to THRIVE.
We are saved to PERSEVERE.
We are saved to REJOICE and FEAST, enjoying the salvation given to us.
We are saved to bring other people to know the fear of God, his terrifying ability to move in the events of the world extending his salvation to THEM.
Let your own story of revenge against God be reversed. Repent and turn to God. Find redemption in Jesus. And live!
PRAYER:
Gracious Lord, humble us and lift up our hearts to live and thrive and persevere. Guard us from proud hearts. Guide us to repent and turn to you. Open our eyes and hearts to where you are moving so we can join you on your mission to save your people.