Our Hope Secure...

"For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; 37 but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. 38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.—Acts 13:36-39

Feel the glory...the weight of these words...

The gospel rests on this truth...the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The resurrection of Christ is the ultimate proof that Jesus is the Messiah.  God, from eternity past, pre-determined that Jesus would die. (2 Tim 1:9) His perfect life and voluntary, atoning death on the cross was accepted by God as a propitiation for the sins of all mankind. Him whom God raised up, saw no corruption.  Jesus’ resurrection was witnessed to by over 500 people (1 Corinthians 15:3-5) and fulfills the three specific prophecies Paul outlined below in Acts 13:33-35.

30 But God raised him from the dead,

31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.

32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers,

33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, "'You are my Son, today I have begotten you.'

34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, "'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.' 

35 Therefore he says also in another psalm, "'You will not let your Holy One see corruption.'—Acts 13:30-35 

Paul goes on to say in verse 38 that through this Man is preached to YOU...to ME...forgiveness of sins and that by Him, EVERYONE who believes is justified. (their permanent position before Christ is now “just as if they had never sinned).  When a sinner repents and believes, their war with God comes to an end.  They are now reconciled and at peace with God...His enemies no longer. Those who believe in Jesus are justified and stand permanently in God’s grace and favor...their hope of life eternal with Him now sure and certain. They are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. 

I am so thankful for the clear and concise promises found in God’s word without which neither you nor I would have any basis for hope. 

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4, ESV)

12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,

16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:12-22, ESV)