Jesus Is... (Part 1) Series

JESUS IS…

(Part 1)

Acts 3:18-20

In our study of Acts, we are currently examining the sermon that Peter preached at Solomon’s Colonnade when the crowd gathered around him after the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate. This man who had been lame from birth had received an amazing miracle in the presence of many people who were present at the Temple complex. They recognized this man and were astonished at the transformation that had taken place. They came running to Solomon’s Colonnade and Peter addressed them and made it clear that he did not heal the lame man by his own power. In verse 16 he declares that the man was healed by faith in Jesus Christ; the very Christ that these Jews had crucified just a few weeks earlier.

Peter proclaimed to his fellow Israelites that they had “denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” v14-16

In the latter portion of his sermon, Peter references the words that God has spoken through His prophets about His suffering servant. He uses the Old Testament scriptures (that were very familiar to these devout Jews) as further evidence that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah. He also points to the fact that Jesus had been glorified and is currently in Heaven. He then declares that they possessed the opportunity to repent and be forgiven and accepted by God and His Christ. However, if they continued to reject God’s Promised One, they would be “utterly destroyed”.

Peter covers many subjects in this sermon, but the central theme is the Lord Jesus Christ. As he had done in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter preached Jesus! He boldly declares who Jesus is, what He has done and what He will do in the future. I would like to examine Peter’s sermon and consider the thought “Jesus Is…”

There is no way to cover all that Jesus is in one sermon; for there are over 200 names and titles of Jesus Christ recorded in scripture. In this specific passage, Peter proclaims that Jesus Is The Promised Messiah, Jesus Is The Suffering Servant, Jesus Is The Compassionate Savior and Jesus Is The Sovereign Lord. I would like to begin by examining the fact that:

JESUS IS THE PROMISED MESSIAH

The Old Testament records many prophecies concerning the Messiah. Peter declares that those prophecies were fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. - v18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.

The Bible contains dozens of Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus Christ fulfilled. Scripture declares that the Messiah would be born of a woman, born of a virgin and this birth would take place in Bethlehem. He would be called Emmanuel; He would spend a season in Egypt and there would be a massacre of Children after His birth.

The Messiah would be from the lineage of Abraham, a decedent of Isaac & Jacob and from the Tribe of Judah. He would be the heir to David’s throne and His throne would be eternal.

Furthermore the scriptures declare that a messenger would prepare the way for the Messiah and He would be rejected by His own people. God’s Promised One would be a prophet, priest, and king. Ultimately the Messiah would be betrayed by a close friend, falsely accused, mocked, insulted, struck, spat upon and hated without cause. Through it all He would remain silent before His accusers.

The prophets declared that He would be crucified with criminals, His hands and feet would be pierced, yet not one of His bones would be broken. He would die, be buried in a rich man’s tomb and He would rise from the dead. Jesus fulfilled all of these (and many more prophecies) in the presence of these people, yet they still rejected Him!

One of the main prophecies concerning the Messiah was that He would be a suffering servant. This leads us to the second thing that Jesus is. Jesus is the Promised Messiah and:

JESUS IS THE SUFFERING SERVANT

The prophets of God declared that the Messiah would be a suffering servant. There are many scriptures that speak to this fact:

Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 "He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!"