Acts 3:24-26 - to bless you by turning you from your wicked ways

3:24,25

Samuel was considered to be the first prophet after Moses, so Peter is saying that the witness of Scripture has been consistent. All of it was pointing forward to the coming of the Messiah, who is Jesus. Verse 25 talks of the identity of the Jews. They thought their identity lay with the law and with Moses. Peter is saying that Moses and all of the Law and the Prophets declare that their identity lies with Jesus. Peter then quotes from the words spoke to Abraham, the father of the nation. Abraham too, pointed towards Jesus.

3:26

This verse is so crucial, and one we so need to get a hold of today. First, God raised up His servant. It is God, not man, who decides the way of salvation, and He has chosen His Son Jesus Christ to be the one and only way of salvation.

He was sent first to Israel. It is implicit in this that He would then become the salvation of the world. God’s plan, made clear from Abraham when He declared that all nations  on earth would be blessed through him, was that salvation would flow from Israel to the whole world.

Notice the phrase, “to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways”. All too often to preach like that today would be considered “not seeker friendly”, or even hate speech. God has not changed, and the blessing of God in Jesus Christ is to turn men and women from our wicked ways, and to turn us to ways of life.