Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Tuesday after Whit-sunday

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
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Scripture: Acts 2:14-36 (NKJV)

2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. 21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’ 22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning Him:

‘I foresaw the LORD always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’

29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:

‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”‘

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Devotion

In yesterday’s reading Cornelius, a Gentile, was converted by the Word of God. In today’s, the Jews who had gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost are preached the Word of God. They are preached both the Law and the Gospel.

The Law was that they had killed the One sent from the Father to be the Messiah. They took Him by “lawless hands,” had Him crucified and put to death, even though His works revealed Him to be the Messiah. The miracles, wonders, and signs done by Him all bore witness that He was the Messiah of God. But the Jews rejected their Messiah and had Him killed.

The Gospel was that all of this was foretold in the prophets. The Messiah was born to suffer and die for the people and rise again from the dead on the third day. The eleven, and all the other disciples, had bore witness to this fact. He appeared to them over the course of forty days. And now, ten days later, the Holy Ghost was poured out onto the Apostles so that they were able to expound the Holy Scriptures to the Jews in Jerusalem. It was a final witness that the Lord Jesus was indeed the Messiah. His Holy Spirit filled St. Peter and the rest of the Apostles as a witness to the fact that He was the Messiah, and now reigns in Heaven seated at the right hand of God the Father, with His enemies as His footstool.

We pray: O God, who didst give Thy Holy Spirit to Thine Apostles, grant to Thy people the performance of their petitions, so that on us, to whom Thou hast given faith, Thou mayest bestow also peace; through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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