Turn around
Acts 3:17-26
17 “Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. 18 But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things. 19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. 21 For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’ 23 Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’
24 “Starting with Samuel, every prophet spoke about what is happening today. 25 You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants all the families on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.”
Luke has just told us about some people who stopped what they were doing, turned around and ran to see what God was doing. And what they saw astonished them (v10, 11). Surprisingly, Peter asks them why they are surprised.
Why are you surprised that he was healed in Jesus’ name? Moses told you to expect someone who speaks for God like him (v22). Why are you surprised to see these things? The prophets told you about these days (v24). This is God’s covenant with Abraham (v25). Now God has glorified Jesus (v13), raised him up, and sent him to turn each of you around (v26).
You killed the author of life, but God turned it around and raised him from the dead (v15). You didn’t know what you were doing but God did, and he turned things around and used what you did to achieve his plans, just like he said he would (v17-18).
Now you need to turn your life around. You need to turn to God (v19). Then your sins can be wiped away. The times of God refreshing will be for you. It all comes to completion when Jesus comes again, but its breaking in now. Resurrection life has broken in, starting with Jesus. Renewed creation and healing are breaking in today. Turn around and step into what God is doing in your life.
And I, too, need to keep turning and running to Jesus every day – to hear what he’s saying and see what he’s doing today. I, too, should expect Jesus and his life-transforming healing, renewal and refreshing to break into my world today. Look with expectation for him to come and bring it all to completion. Step into what God is doing in your life today.
Thank you, Jesus, that you turn everything around. You bring life where there’s death. You bring wholeness where there’s brokenness. You bring hope where there’s despair. You bring relationship in you. And you’re bring completion. I want to be part of what you’re doing today. Holy Spirit let’s do it together today.
Written by David Cornell