When Jesus came to the
region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who
do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say
Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do
you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,
for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father
in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this
rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not
overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;
whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:13-19
After Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension into heaven,
Peter gave this testimony to a crowd who listened in rapt
attention:
“Listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited
by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did
among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was
handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge;
and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by
nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead,
freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible
for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him:
“ 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at
my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue
rejoices;
my body also will
live in hope,
because you will not abandon me to the
grave,
nor will you let
your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the paths of
life;
you will fill me
with joy in your presence.'
“Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch
David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.
But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on
oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.
Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the
Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his
body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we
are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of
God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit
and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did
not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“ 'The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my
right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for
your feet.” '
“Therefore let all people be assured of this:
God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and
Christ.”
Acts 2:22-36
Peter healed a crippled man in the name of Jesus. The watching
crowd wondered where this power to heal came from. Peter answered
the crowd this way:
When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Men, why does
this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own
power or godliness we had made this man walk?
“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our
fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over
to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he
had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous
One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed
the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.
“We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of
Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It
is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has
given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
“Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance,
as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he
had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ
would suffer.
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may
be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for
you—even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time
comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago
through his holy prophets. For Moses said, 'The Lord your
God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your
own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone
who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from
among his people.'
“Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as
have spoken, have foretold these days. And you are heirs of
the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers.
He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on
earth will be blessed.' When God raised up his servant, he
sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you
from your wicked ways.”
Acts 3:12-26 |
