GUILTY AS CHARGED

Acts 2:22-28

[Peter speaking] "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him: 'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.' "

Peter said in verse 23, "and YOU, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross." I take this very personal -- he's talking to me -- as if he's singled me out and is pointing his finger at me with the accusation -- "YOU!" I know some of you may be thinking, "No, he's not talking to me, he's talking to the people in the crowd." But Jesus died for all of us and all of our sins, even the ones that haven't been committed. How does that change Peter's statement for you today?

Every time we ignore Jesus, we are "helping wicked men" put Him to death. Have you ever noticed how the more you become involved in the world and what the world considers right, the less Jesus influences you. You may not have called for His execution, but when you ignore Jesus you are "helping wicked men put him to death." In other words, you are allowing the world and its seductive nature to place Jesus in the back seat of your life -- He becomes "dead" in your life. Your sin is once again "nailing Him to the cross." Remember, the term is not "nailed," as if it happened in the past and only one time. The term used is "nailing," which is in the present tense -- meaning it continues on to this day.

Romans 6:6-7 teaches us that our sinful nature died with Jesus, "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin would be done away with, and that we should no longer be slaves to sin -- because anyone who has died is freed from sin." What Paul is telling us is we no longer have to sin -- our sinful nature no longer controls us (we died with Christ and therefore are free from sin). The message is: Although your sin is nailing Jesus to the cross, you don't have to sin anymore -- you have a choice.

What sin do you still hold on to that you need to let go of? What choice will you make?

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