Sent First to Bless You
2:20:26 · Watch on YouTube ↗
These notes - summary, key points, and highlighted thoughts - were generated by AI from the recording and are not the preacher’s exact words.
Summary
Preached during a Lord's Supper service from Acts 3:18-26, this message rests on Peter's declaration that God raised His Son and sent Him first to bless His people - by turning every one of them away from sin. God did not send Jesus to condemn the world but to lift the curse and give the greatest blessing of all: freedom from the power of sin and the gift of eternal life.
The risen Christ, received into heaven until the time appointed, still comes to each person personally through the gospel and by the Holy Spirit. Just as thousands believed after Peter preached, the Spirit knocks on individual hearts today, revealing Jesus and drawing each one out of bondage. The word of the cross is the power of God for salvation, and the church need never be ashamed of it, even when proclaiming it brings suffering.
At the table the congregation remembers Christ's broken body and the new covenant in His blood, proclaiming His death until He comes. The preacher calls each believer to examine themselves, to receive the bread and cup worthily, and to treasure this everlasting covenant as Abraham did.
Key Points
- God sent Jesus first to bless, not to curse - turning each person away from sin
- The risen Christ meets every heart personally through the gospel and the Holy Spirit
- The word of the cross is the power of God for all who are being saved
- Do not be ashamed of the gospel, even when it leads through suffering
- Communion proclaims the Lord's death until He comes again
- Examine yourself and receive the bread and cup worthily
- The blood of Christ cleanses, forgives, and frees from every bondage
Devotional
Pause and remember that the same Jesus who walked the earth now meets you personally through His word and His Spirit. He did not come to condemn you but to bless you, gently turning your heart away from sin and toward true life. When you take the bread and lift the cup, hear Him call you by name and say, I gave Myself for you. Let His blood assure you of full forgiveness, and walk in the freedom of His new covenant until He comes.
God did not send His Son to curse the world, but to bless it - by turning each of us from sin.
The gospel is the power of God, for behind the word of the cross stands Christ Himself.
We break this bread and lift this cup until He comes.
