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But then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, out of the tribe of Benjamin. After Saul had ruled forty years,
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God removed him from office and put King David in his place, with this commendation: 'I've searched the land and found this David, son of Jesse. He's a man whose heart beats to my heart, a man who will do what I tell him.'
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"From out of David's descendants God produced a Savior for Israel, Jesus, exactly as he promised -
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but only after John had thoroughly alerted the people to his arrival by preparing them for a total life-change.
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As John was finishing up his work, he said, 'Did you think I was the One? No, I'm not the One. But the One you've been waiting for all these years is just around the corner, about to appear. And I'm about to disappear.'
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"Dear brothers and sisters, children of Abraham, and friends of God, this message of salvation has been precisely targeted to you.
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The citizens and rulers in Jerusalem didn't recognize who he was and condemned him to death.
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They couldn't find a good reason, but demanded that Pilate execute him anyway.
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They did just what the prophets said they would do, but had no idea they were following to the letter the script of the prophets, even though those same prophets are read every Sabbath in their meeting places.
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And then God raised him from death.
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There is no disputing that - he appeared over and over again many times and places to those who had known him well in the Galilean years, and these same people continue to give witness that he is alive.