Text: Acts 3:11-16, Title: Exaltation through Denial, Date/Place: NRBC, 7/15/07, AM
Opening illustration: In what some call a denial of a basic civil right, a Missouri man has been told he may not marry his long-term companion. …The man claims that the essential elements of marriage – love and commitment – are indeed present. “She’s gorgeous. She’s sweet. She’s loving. I’m very proud of her … Deep down, way down, I’d love to have children with her.” Why is the state of Missouri, as well as the federal government, displaying such heartlessness in denying the holy bonds of wedlock to this man and his would be “wife”? It seems the state of Missouri is not prepared to indulge a man who waxes eloquent about his love for a 22-year-old mare named Pixel
A. Background to passage: Similar to the events of Pentecost in the last chapter, Peter seized the opportunity to be a witness. There is a whole sermon there. When he saw that people’s attention had been turned to the supernatural, that God was working in their midst, he was empowered to witness for Christ.
B. Main thought: And what we will see in the text today is the first half of his explanation of what just happened in the healing of the man who was lame from birth and lain daily at the gate called “Beautiful.”
A. The Denial of Self-Glory (v. 12)
1. The first thing out of Peter’s mouth was that the people shouldn’t have two thoughts. First, they shouldn’t be surprised when supernatural events happen. But second, he says that they shouldn’t look upon the apostles as if they had done this miracle. Peter was denying to the crowd his ability. So not only did Peter and John not go seeking their own fame, when it came unsolicited, they vehemently denied it. Peter and John were committed in every way to making God’s fame preeminent. Christ was glorified by Peter giving the credit and glory where it was due. This is consistent with the entirety of scripture: all that God does He does for His own glory, for His name’s sake.
2. Col 1:16,
3. Illustration: tell about the church that had a plaque or a sticker with who bought it named on everything in the church,
4. Far too often we seek our own fame, glory, recognition, and honor. And what’s worse is that if we don’t get what we feel we deserve, we get really upset, offended, and angry about it. Are you really seeking your own glory, or that of Another? And that is probably the real question that we should ask in applying this to our lives: If God is completely and radically committed to magnifying His name and fame, are we? When we work, go to school, plan our budgets, choose our clothing, speak to our neighbors, drink our orange juice, do we do it in a fashion that brings honor to Christ? Self-gratification and self-glorification goes completely against the purpose for which we were made. How is God/Christ made to look greater by your life?
B. The Denial of Irresponsibility (v. 13-14)
1. This is using a double negative. I could have worded it “the affirmation of responsibility,” but in order to stay consistent with the other points… Anyway, the wording Peter used was quite accusatory in nature. All were in second person plural. The words were quite harsh. The first is translated “delivered up” and it means to be turned over to, or betrayed. The second word translated “deny” means to disown, disavow, or reject. Then Peter went on to say that not only had they betrayed and rejected their Messiah, the Prince of Life, they had preferred rather a murderer. What irony! But this is a mark of apostolic preaching that we will see over and over.
2. Rom 3:23-26, 4:5, Josh 7:19, Jer 13:16
3. Illustration: We are a nation of victims- see illustration file, first words out of Mackenzie’s mouth when I cam in to find Kaitlann crying were “I didn’t do it”
4. And this is still true of us. It is our sins that caused the wrath of God to be poured out on Jesus. We are the ones that betrayed and rejected Christ. There is no middle ground. Either you have betrayed, rejected and repented, or you are still betraying, rejecting, and disowning Christ. And the reason that this is glorious and glorifying to Christ is that we serve a God who justifies sinners. The God of the Bible everlastingly redeems the same people who killed His Son. And the means that He uses to do that is the killing itself. This is why God and Christ are exceedingly infinitely glorified in the cross and the resurrection. God’s love for sinners and His love for His own glory collide with an awesome explosion at Calvary. The glory of the gospel is that you killed Jesus, but He wants to forgive, justify, and sanctify you to the praise of His glory. It is to His glory that you admit your sin, turn from your ways, seek His forgiveness, and be transformed by His grace. If you never have, today’s the day…
C. The Denial of His Reputation (v. 13-15)
1. Peter uses several titles for Christ that hit at the heart of who He really was. But remember what had happened in Jerusalem only 50 days prior. During the trial the Jews called Jesus a liar, a blasphemer, an evildoer. They mocked Him, struck Him, made fun of Him, and questioned His power, His authority, and His relationship with God. They publicly slandered and humiliated Him and His reputation at Calvary. But Peter calls Him the Servant of God (Isa 52:13), the Holy One (Ps 16:10), the Just (Zech 9:9), and the Prince of Life (Ps 36:9).
2. Isa 52:13, Ps 16:10, Zech 9:9, 1 John 2:1, 2 Cor 5:21, Heb 7:26, 1 Pet 3:18, Ps 36:9,
3. Illustration: “There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express.” –Billy Sunday, The Ruler of Righteousness –S. M. Lockeridge, Luther’s struggle with depression and his wife’s funeral dress,
4. We deny His reputation everyday that we do not live like He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! Depression can signal that we do not think of Him correctly. Anger means that we don’t like His decisions, or that we don’t believe He is in control. Worry, fear, self-centeredness, short-sightedness, materialism, humanism, and so many other things display that He is so much less in our minds and lives than He is in reality. When we raise our children, manage our home or our money our own way instead of His, we deny that He is our authoritative Lover of our souls with the best intentions for us. He longs to be known as He really is. He desires to manifest Himself to the world as the Supreme Ruler of Heaven and the Sovereign Redeemer of mankind. He acts and withholds, and builds up and tears down so that all men may know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, is the only God. He promotes the fame of His name because it is the most valuable entity in the cosmos, nothing even compares to Him. And He does this so all may flock to Him in repentance for their apathy, idolatry, and belittling of Christ, and He may graciously give them eternal life to further glorify Himself throughout all eternity.
D. The Denial of Death’s Victory (v. 15-16)
1. Again we see another mark of the early apostolic preaching, the centrality of the resurrection. Peter sets this in direct contrast with them exchanging the Prince of Life for a murderer and killing the Messiah—God raised Him up, and we are witnesses! Christ is again glorified by the resurrection. If Christ stayed dead, there would have been no vindication, Satan would have won. But He didn’t, and Christ is alive, and because He is alive, you too can live. Note the repetition of His Name in v. 16.
2. Eph 1:20-23, Rom 6:5, 1 Cor 15:54-55, John 11:25, Ps 63:3
3. Illustration: the forty martyrs of Sebaste. In the famed Twelfth Legion of Rome’s imperial army there were forty soldiers who professed their faith in Jesus Christ. One day their captain informed them that Emperor Licinius had sent out an edict commanding all soldiers to offer sacrifice to pagan gods. These Christian warriors said, "You can have our armor and even our bodies, but our hearts’ allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ." Because of their stance they were marched onto a frozen lake in the midwinter of A.D. 320 and stripped of their clothes, it’s kinda like brier rabbit asking not to be thrown in the brier patch. Tell about the Acquire the Fire where everyone began to volunteer to take Cassie Barnall’s place on the mission field,
4. Christ is victorious, the Pharisees and Satan lose! You can live forever if you put your faith in His Name! Because He overcame death, he offers you that same thing, if you are united with Him in death. Just think, if the worst thing that you can think of happens to you and you die, you still win. This is the reason that missionaries can go to difficult countries to minister; they know they have a greater reward than life itself. This truth can make you a risk taker for the glory of God.
A. Closing illustration:
B. Recap
C. Invitation to commitment
