Welcome back to our study of the book of Acts with Dr. RC Sproul. In our last study, we talked about the beginning of Peter’s compelling Sermon, which was a demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s workings. We’ll continue to look this sermon and zero in on verses 22-33. I believe the paragraph below correctly captures one of the main messages of this passage,
Judas Iscariot, the Sanhedrin, Pontius Pilate, and the mob in Jerusalem all contributed to the events at Golgotha. But there was yet another, without whom the crucifixion would have never taken place. By whose hand was Jesus sent to the cross? In this sermon, R.C. Sproul tells us the astonishing answer to that question, the answer that Peter gave on the day of Pentecost.
The Foreknowledge of GOD
The Passage
22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man accredited and pointed out and attested to you by God with [the power to perform] miracles and wonders and signs which God worked through Him in your [very] midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, when handed over [to the Roman authorities] according to the predetermined decision and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross and put to death by the hands of lawless and godless men. 24 But God raised Him up, releasing Him and bringing an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in death’s power. 25 For David says of Him,
‘I saw the Lord constantly before me;
For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken [from my state of security].
26Â
‘Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted exceedingly;
Moreover my flesh also will live in hope [that is, will encamp in anticipation of the resurrection];
27Â
‘For You will not forsake me and abandon my soul to Hades (the realm of the dead),
Nor let Your Holy One undergo decay [after death].
28Â
‘You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will fill me [infusing my soul] with joy with Your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may confidently and freely say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 And so, being a prophet and knowing fully that God had sworn to him with an oath that He would seat one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke [prophetically] of the resurrection of the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), that He was not abandoned [in death] to Hades (the realm of the dead), nor did His body undergo decay. 32 God raised this Jesus [bodily from the dead], and of that [fact] we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore having been exalted [d]to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this [blessing] which you both see and hear
Be Sure To Subscribe To Ligonier Ministries on Youtube
PS: All the videos series from RC Sproul added to the website have been thoroughly listened to by myself. And I highly recommend them to anyone looking to deepen his/her faith in Christ. We live in the age of relativism and now more than ever understanding what we believe, and why believe what believe is not optional.Â
My name is Tayib Salami and I started Tayibs.com for the sole purpose of exploring difficult questions about the Christian faith that most of us shy away from. In 2017, I entered a very dark time in my life and it’s only by the grace of the Living God that I’m still alive today. It led me to really go deeper in my faith and consider a myriad of questions that I never thought about asking myself or others before. Welcome and enjoy the ride with me.