For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

“‘Look, you scoffers,
be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’” — Acts 13:36-41

So this section is the meat of Paul's message. What Paul is doing is taking Old Testament history — their history — and one of its principal heroes and kings — David — and he is using his life, his psalms, and a promise that God made to make the driving point of his message. And the message is pretty simple. God promised David that his life would be rescued from the grave by God's Holy One, who would not see corruption (Psalm 13:10). And that through this Holy One comes the complete and total forgiveness of sin that frees them forever from the Law of Moses. And this is important because the sacrificial system did not remove sin. It only covered their sin. But given the perfect sacrifice of Jesus's life, sin would now be removed, and they had rights, both Greek and Jew, to be again children of God. There was no need for the Temple, for sacrifice, or the priestly system any longer. By faith in the risen Savior, sin is removed, and mankind has the opportunity for eternal life and a relationship with God.

And then, Paul closes off with an Old Testament reference saying some will find this "too good to be true."

I believe what happens right here in this short section is exactly what makes the gospel hard to believe. First, if we have been doing life without Jesus, we have constructed our own history and philosophy about life. Second, then one day, we are confronted with a new history. A history that God has been writing that challenges us to reconsider everything we've known. A history about God and his work on earth for us culminating in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Third, if we can accept this history and truth about our sin and God's son, then we discover that a relationship with God is something that's too good to be true. God invites us into an eternal relationship with him if we accept the truth about our sin and his Son and by faith believing he was raised from the dead. And some people find all this a little hard to believe.

But some do. They choose to walk away from their history to be included in a new history. One God has written for you.

And this is what I love about God's story. In it, I can leave my history behind. And with it, all the mistakes, sins, compulsions, and issues in my past. It can all be left behind for a new story that God writes on the hearts of men that believe in him. And I bet there are some men out there today who want to leave their past behind. And I want you to know. You can right now. By faith in Jesus, you can walk away from your old story to be included in a new story. A story of forgiveness from your sin.

If you are looking for forgiveness today, I will pray for you. Just let me know your need in the comments below, and I will pray for you today immediately.

ASK THIS: What do you need forgiveness for? (Share it in the comments below)

DO THIS: Receive prayer and forgiveness — accept it.

PRAY THIS: God, forgive me. I want to be a part of your story. Write a new story on my heart today.

PLAY THIS: Forgiven — Sanctus Real.
Check out other all Vince Miller's videos and audios for small groups at: https://beresolute.org/

Get Vince's most widely read resources The Daily Devotional at: https://beresolute.org/mdd

Check out more ALL IN products like the one Vince is wearing at:
https://beresolute.org/product-category/all-in-hats/
____________________________________________________________________________________
Connect with Vince socially:
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/millervince
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vinceleemiller
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincemiller
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vinceleemiller