Text: Acts 3:17-26, Title: Exaltation Through Forgiveness, Date/Place: NRBC, 8/5/07, AM
A. Opening illustration: Old Joe was dying. For years he had been at odds with Bill, formerly one of his best friends. Wanting to straighten things out, he sent word for Bill to come and see him. When Bill arrived, Joe told him that he was afraid to go into eternity with such a bad feeling between them. Then, very reluctantly and with great effort, Joe apologized for things he had said and done. He also assured Bill that he forgave him for his offenses. Everything seemed fine until Bill turned to go. As he walked out of the room, Joe called out after him, “But, remember, if I get better, this doesn’t count!”
B. Background to passage: this message is the third part of chapter three and the end of Peter’s sermon to the masses at the temple on the day of the healing of the lame man. Do a quick catch up on the situation. Peter’s message takes a real evangelistic turn in these last ten verses. And after a quick acknowledgment of the ignorance of the people and the sovereignty of God, Peter gives us several blessings that accompany salvation. And of course the most God-exalting event in the entirety of scripture is the saving of wretched, rebellious, godless men through the sacrificial atonement of Christ on the cross,
C. Main thought: And so in the message this morning we will see the sovereignty of God and the blessings that come from Him through salvation, thus exalting the name and fame of Christ.
A. God always accomplishes His purposes (v. 17-18)
1. After Peter has squarely placed the blame upon these hearers of his message for the death of their own Messiah, he acknowledges that they did it in ignorance. And even though ignorance of the law is not an excuse in our day, the OT provided for the possibility of forgiveness when sins were committed unintentionally, instead of in out and out rebellion. So with the weight of the responsibility of the death of their long-awaited Messiah upon them, Peter implies forgiveness is possible. In fact, he goes on to say that God fulfilled exactly what he said would happen. Peter says that even though what they did was evil, God was fulfilling his purposes through it.
2. Psa 97:1, Gen 50:20, Ex 9:16, Isa 43:13, 55:11, Job 42:2
3. Illustration: Charles Spurgeon, the 19th century pastor, writes this about the sovereignty of God—
There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that sovereignty overrules them, and that sovereignty will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which the children ought to more earnestly contend to than the doctrine of their Master over all creation—the Kingship of God over all the works of His own hands—the Throne of God and His right to sit upon that throne...for it is God upon the Throne whom we trust.
4. There is nothing in this world that can thwart the purpose of God. Ungodly men can’t stop Him, nor can natural disasters, unexpected tragedies, Satanic attacks, heart attacks, cancer, unexpected pregnancies, “accidents,” nor “coincidences.” God uses all of these things to bring about His purposes and plans for us and for the world. So the next time that these unplanned, yet sovereignly directed, events happen in your life, rest assured that God is big enough to control them all, in fact, He is controlling them all. He controls the length of a trial, its depth, its intensity, and he promises never to put upon us more than we can handle with Him at our side, and He will provide a way of escape (although not always deliverance). So think and so live as those with an unwavering confidence that their God is large and in charge, sovereignly bringing all things to His desired end. This means that we don’t fall apart when things don’t go as we planned, whether it is an event, a driver that cuts you off, a job that doesn’t turn out, or a diagnosis that is not favorable. We trust Him, and thank Him, and love Him, because He is working. So much more…
B. Therefore, surrender and be blessed (v. 19-26) – Peter asked them to acknowledge their sin, claim their Messiah, and seek the forgiveness of God. And when they truly did, these would be the results…
1. Blotting out of sin (v. 19) – the ink of that day had no acid, so it didn’t bite into the paper, and could easily be wiped off with a damp sponge. This is the promise to all those that put their faith in Christ completely to save. Your sin will be removed as far as the east is from the west, nailed to the cross, buried in the sea of forgetfulness. A Sunday School teacher had just concluded her lesson and wanted to make sure she had made her point. She said, “Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can obtain forgiveness of sin?” There was a short pause and then, from the back of the room, a small boy spoke up. “Sin,” he said. God will never bring up your sin against you again. Our consciences hold us captive constantly reminding us of all those things that we have done, but not Christ.
2. Times of refreshing (v. 19) – this is an interesting word in the Gr. It means relaxation from a burdensome circumstance or a time of cheer and encouragement after a troubling period. Peter says that when you get saved, there is a lifting of burdens, a season of refreshment. When you drink of the fountain of living water, it is always clear, crisp, clean, and satisfying. Remember that Peter is speaking to a people who have just been laden with the greatest sin ever in the history of the world. God will wipe that sin away, and strengthen you with a time of joy. He will cause the life to come back into the dry bones. He is the strength of our hearts and our life.
3. Return of Messiah (v. 20) – the next thing that Peter says that will happen upon their repentance is that God will send Christ who was preached before to them. The text states that He will be in heaven until the time of the restoration of all things, but then He will return in power and glory. And the benefit to you is that you will then be the bride awaiting His return. The pious Jews were always awaiting Messiah, and now they had just killed Him, but Peter says that He will return.
4. A mediator b/t you and God (v. 22) – here Peter quotes Deut 18:15ff about Moses’ prophecy about God’s raising up a prophet like him for Israel. Moses did a lot of things for Israel, but his main function throughout his ministry was that of a mediator. John calls Jesus our Advocate, 1 John 2:1, Rom 8:34, 1 Tim 2:5, Heb 7:25. You will be blessed will One who is always pleading your case before God. You have access to the throne room of heaven through Christ. “The redeemed are dependent of God for all. All that we have-- wisdom, the pardon of sin, deliverance, acceptance in God’s favor, grace, holiness, true comfort and happiness, eternal life and glory--we have from God by a Mediator; and this Mediator is God. God not only gives us the Mediator, and accepts His mediation, and of His power and grace bestows the things purchased by the Mediator, but He is the Mediator. Our blessings are what we have by purchase… for Christ, who is God, purchased these blessings by offering Himself as the price of our salvation.” – Edwards, You can’t have your case plead w/o a mediator, can’t get to heaven w/o a mediator, but once you have the One mediator, the floodgate of spiritual blessings is available to you.
5. Miss utter destruction (v. 23) – Peter then clarifies the meaning of the text in Deut, and says that those that do not hear what the Mediator/Messiah would say would be utterly destroyed. So the next blessing that you will experience when you believe is that you will miss utter destruction. There was a question about hell on a website that I was on this week, asking if I ever preach on hell. I answered yes (11% said no), but only when it comes up in the text, which it does here. And here it serves as a warning to those that have never put their faith in Christ not to harden their hearts toward Him. But also to the redeemed it serves as a reminder to what you have been saved from. We will miss an eternity separated from God in eternal, conscious, physical, mental, spiritual torment all because of the grace of Christ in our lives.
6. Heir to the promises (v. 25) – Peter tells them that if they believe they will be true children of the prophets and genuine heirs to all that Christ has. You are no longer a slave under the taskmaster of the law, guilt, and sin, but you are a child of the King. You become a co-heir with Jesus! You have had your legal status changed. And now you are not just a physical descendant, but a powerful heir with full rights and priv.
7. Help turning from sin (v. 26) And then finally he shares that not only are you freed from the law and sin, you will be given the power to overcome it through Christ. A verse that I have been memorizing prays for God not to allow any iniquity have dominion over us. God sends the Holy Spirit to live inside of us to help us over come sin. Tell about the video clip I watched about the Spirit following the kid. The convicts, reminds, brings scripture to bear, illuminates, and empowers you to defeat sin so that the light of the glorious gospel may sin forth in their hearts.
A. Closing illustration: Bruce Goodrich was being initiated into the cadet corps at Texas A & M University. One night, Bruce was forced to run until he dropped—but he never got up. Bruce Goodrich died before he even entered college. A short time after the tragedy, Bruce’s father wrote this letter to the administration, faculty, student body, and the corps of cadets: “I would like to take this opportunity to express the appreciation of my family for the great outpouring of concern and sympathy from Texas A & M University and the college community over the loss of our son Bruce. We were deeply touched by the tribute paid to him in the battalion. We were particularly pleased to note that his Christian witness did not go unnoticed during his brief time on campus.” Mr. Goodrich went on: “I hope it will be some comfort to know that we harbor no ill will in the matter. We know our God makes no mistakes. Bruce had an appointment with his Lord and is now secure in his celestial home. When the question is asked, ‘Why did this happen?’ perhaps one answer will be, ‘So that many will consider where they will spend eternity.’“
B. So Christ is exalted because by His death He has purchased for us forgiveness, refreshing, return, mediation, eternal life, all spiritual blessings, and aid in killing sin. If you have been saved, these things are yours for the enjoying by faith in Christ alone. If you have not, these things lie awaiting you today when you put your faith in Christ. Not what you do, but what you believed on…
