The Life and Death of Jesus

This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
–Acts 2:23

As a pastor, I was taught that an effective sermon has one central idea that can be summarized in a single sentence. In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, the central idea was clear: Jesus is the Messiah, as evidenced by His life, His death, and His resurrection from the dead.

In Acts 2:22, Peter said, “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know.” For three years, people in Israel had seen and heard about Jesus healing people, casting out demons, feeding the five thousand, and so on. Peter was saying that those miracles were like a giant neon sign flashing “Messiah! Messiah! Messiah!”

Peter continued, “This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death” (v. 23). Peter wasn’t speaking figuratively; he was telling the audience that they were responsible for putting Jesus to death. In the crowd were probably some of the same Jews who had yelled, “Crucify Him!” and even Roman centurions who had participated in the crucifixion.

But notice Peter also said Jesus was crucified “by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.” Jesus’ death wasn’t accidental; it was part of God’s plan. Here we see the mystery of God’s sovereignty and our responsibility. God has a plan that governs everything in the universe. But that doesn’t mean we are not responsible for our own actions. In Luke 22:22, Jesus said, “The Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” When Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, He was acting in accordance with prophecy, but he was still responsible for what he did.

The same is true for us. We are responsible for our own actions, and sometimes we suffer the consequences. But we can also rest in the fact that God uses the worst things we’ve done and the worst things that have happened to us to accomplish His purpose in our lives–just as He did with the death of His Son.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2021.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.