Lord of All, Judge of All, & Savior of All
Notes
Transcript
After two supernatural events, Peter has come to the inevitable conclusion that God does not show partiality.
He does not favor any group of people above another, rather all have been given access through Christ.
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
What Peter says in verse 35 is not the means of attaining divine grace but the result of it.
V. 36
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Christ is Lord, not of some, but of all!
V. 37
Peter is saying, these things didn’t happen under a rock! You know about these events.
V. 38-39a
His presentation of the gospel is grounded in the historical Jesus, and real historical events.
Peter himself is an eyewitness to all that Christ did.
For a more detailed description of Peter’s account of the life of Christ see the gospel of Mark.
V. 39b
Next, he points to the death of Christ. But not just any death, by hanging Him on a tree.
Why would he choose to describe it in that way.
22 “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
Here Peter is alluding to the fact that in the death of Christ he took upon Himself the curse of sin, as well as the punishment of sin.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
The death of Christ is full of theological significance for our lives!
V. 40
But God
Finally, he points to the resurrection of Christ as an undeniable historical fact.
Peter could not deny it, he had seen the risen Christ with his own eyes, not only that, but he ate and drank with him.
The resurrection of Christ is the single most important event in all of history. It is the proof that this life is not all that there is. That death is not the end.
It is on these three points that the gospel stands, indeed the entire christian faith.
This is the message that we have been given, it has been entrusted to us!
Why does all this matter? Because it’s true!
It matters because not only is Christ the Lord of all, He is also the Judge of all.
V. 42
9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
What we do matters!
What have you done with the gospel?
Lastly, Christ is the Savior of all. That is, all who believe in Him.
It is only those who believe who receive forgiveness through His name.
This is not easy believism, I’m talking about a real belief that actually changes the way that you think, speak, and live.
This is what saving faith looks like.