Acts 4: 27-28
For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
To do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
Herod and Pilate and the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, this sounds like everybody. No one is exempt from this list. We are all guilty.
God decided ahead of time what would happen. Before anything was created, I can picture the Father and the Son and the Spirit hanging out together, discussing what they could do. And when they decided that this Mankind would have a free choice to choose God, they knew that Man could also choose to reject God. And the Son stepped up and took responsibility for him, to redeem him back.
So the Lord God gave the Law and sent His prophets so that the people would recognize Messiah when He came. And the Child was born and the Son was given, and His Name was called Jesus.
So Jesus grew up and lived just like we do, as our example. And He proved who He was by His miracles. And He taught the people with authority.
Then He completed His mission as the Lamb of God, our Sacrifice. He fulfilled the personal Sacrifice to save us one-by-one; and He fulfilled the corporate Sacrifice to purchase us, making Him our rightful Judge.
So we are all His property, His possession. He owns us by Creation and by Purchase. And we who have realized He took our death, belong to Him also by Redemption.
When we all got together, the Leaders and the Gentiles and Israel, to put Him to death, we were sacrificing our Lamb. We all agreed that He needed to die.
And His Blood splattered on the sides of His altar, the Cross, washes away our sins. And His Blood poured out at the foot of the Cross purchases us all, everybody, of every time, every Nation, every language; no one is left out.
Every person who ever lived is offered this opportunity to be saved from the sins that beset us all, and redeemed out of this slave-market of sin to be welcomed into the family of the King.
O my Father, we are all born to live; but Your Son was born to die, so we can Live. Your grace and Your mercy are great! Your Love is beyond anything I can imagine; to know me, my weaknesses and failings, and to Love me anyway!
Father, Your plans for me are so much better than I could think up for myself. You are good, and everything You do comes from Your great Love for us all.
I don't know why people can be so foolish to not seek You and Your wonderful gifts. How Your heart must break to have people You Love to rebel and fight against You. But You will not force Yourself on anyone, You respect the choices You enabled us to make, even when they harm ourselves.
O Father, send me to Your lost sheep who are seeking You. Let my reach extend into every area where the fields are white for harvest. Use me, Father, to find them and draw them into the safety of the One Fold with One Shepherd. Use my life and my words to show them Your Love and what You have already accomplished on their behalf through Your Son.
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess in every language, Your glory and honor and wisdom and praise and authority and riches and wealth and joy!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
