[2] How long is eternity? Think about it. Just how long is eternity? Can we even wrap our minds around how immeasurable the eons of time will be in eternity? I think we’re such a time-obsessed culture that it’s hard for us to imagine anything besides finite time.
Think about it, we’ve got clocks in every room of our house. We’ve got clocks in our car, on our cell phone and on our wrists. Many of us live by the dates on our calendars. Every year we celebrate birthdays, New Years Day and anniversaries. And most of our energy goes towards achieving temporary goals and attaining temporary possessions. We are so wrapped up in the hear and now.
But we as human beings are literally living, eternal souls that are temporarily wrapped in a physical body that only lasts for a century.
And there’s where the rub comes. Our eternal soul lives in a temporal body. So do we take care of the here and now temporary part of life? Or do we live solely for the eternity that’s waiting for us after this earthly life is over. I say that we need to take care of the here and now but with an eternal perspective fulfilling eternal goals.
You see, we need to understand that the earthly life that we now live is a part of the eternal life that we have. Since eternity has no beginning and no end, everything is a part eternity. [3] And that means eternity is now!
We’re living in eternity right now. We’re currently earth-side of eternity. When we die our soul continues to live on without the physical body in the spiritual realm. But both are a part of eternity.
The point is, sometimes we live this life as if what we do here is strictly for the temporary nature of life. But the decisions we make and the things we do have implications and even connections with eternity. So instead of looking at life through earthly, finite, temporary standards – look at this life as a part of the fabric of forever.
That’s what Peter wanted the people in the Temple to do when they saw that miracle happen right before their eyes. Remember what we talked about last week? Peter and John were headed into the Temple to do some evangelizing and a crippled beggar stopped them and asked for some money. They stooped down, looked the cripple in the eyes, and by the power of God spoke healing into the man’s legs.
He rose to his feet with a leap, and the three of them went into the Temple walking, leaping and praising God for what He had done. This drew the attention of everyone inside and they wanted to know what had happened. So Peter used this opportunity to direct everyone to the reality of Jesus Christ and to life and to eternity.
The first thing Peter showed the people was the [4] evidence of Jesus’ divinity.
[Read Acts 3:11-18.]
Peter uses this bonified miracle to demonstrate to the people that Jesus was in fact the eternal God. The God of all their Hebrew heroes from the Old Testament.
Peter first shows them how Jesus’ resurrection is evidence that He is God. After all, the Prince of Life was raised from the dead and they and hundreds of other people were eyewitnesses to it. And no Jew could ever produce the dead body of Jesus Christ. The claims were true that Jesus rose from the dead – something only God could do.
Peter also showed them that the miracle was done by the power of Jesus Christ proving that He in fact was God. They all knew the crippled beggar that had been at the door of the Temple for 40 years begging for money. No one else had been able to help him in the least. But by faith in Jesus Christ the power of God flowed through the man’s veins and restored his health fully – something only God could do.
And Peter also noted that Jesus’ suffering on the cross was actually a fulfillment of prophecy written hundreds of years before He was even born. (Check out Genesis 3:15, Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and Zechariah 12:10.) Jesus’ crucifixion amazingly fulfilled things written down centuries earlier about what the Messiah would go through. His fulfillment of these ancient prophecies was something only God could do.
The resurrection, the miracles and the fulfilled prophecies evidenced the fact that Jesus was in fact the eternal God whom they claimed to worship. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The God of the prophets. The God who healed the cripple. Jesus is God.
But since they rejected Jesus as God and actually cheered at His death, they needed to completely change their way of thinking. That would only come through a [5] repentance towards Jesus as Savior. They had to turn away from their misguided beliefs and the sins they held in their hearts and turn towards belief in Jesus Christ.
[Mormons ‘misguided’ missionaries.]
[Read Acts 3:13-19.]
Remember, Peter’s talking with religious Jews who were in the Temple at the hour of prayer. They’re in the Temple trying to impress God with their faithfulness. Yet, they were the ones who killed Jesus all in the name of their religion. Peter points out several problems with their religious views.
First of all, remember when Pilate gave the crowd a choice over releasing Jesus or a convicted murderer, they chose to release the murderer. Pilate himself wasn’t even convinced that Jesus deserved to die and offered the people to set Him free. But they refused. They chose bad over good.
They not only chose bad, but they were the ones who had manipulated the system to have Jesus killed. They didn’t believe He was God so they wanted Him dead. Even though Jesus as God was right there before them, they rejected God.
Peter also says they acted in ignorance not understanding that Jesus was actually the Messiah. But if you ask me, it was willful ignorance. They had the Old Testament that predicted His coming and what that would be like. They had His miracles walking around them every day. Jesus Himself tried to convince Him. But they rejected the Truth.
You know, us modern people are just like those religious Jews. We find ourselves constantly choosing bad over good, rejecting God, and rejecting the Truth. All of which have eternal implications!
The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It goes on to say in 6:23 that, “The wages of sin is death.” We understand that to mean the “second death” that the Bible defines as eternal Hell.
So if we’re all sinners, and the price to pay for sin is eternal Hell, then we must all be in trouble! And we are! But that’s why Jesus came! Let me read all of Romans 6:23. “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
That’s why Peter told the people back in verse 19 of Acts 3 to “Repent and return so that your sins might be wiped away, or blotted out.” The Jews had to turn away from their belief that Jesus was a heretic who deserved to die. They needed to turn from that, repent, and turn towards Jesus in faith. Then, and only then, would they be saved!
If we will turn away from our sin and unbelief and turn towards Jesus Christ in faith, He will give us a [6] salvation that’s eternal! Not a temporary salvation until the next time we sin, not just help with this temporal life, and not deliverance from human oppression. But a salvation that’s eternal.
[Read Acts 3:19-21.]
If we will turn to the Lord in faith our sins will be washed away. The blood of Jesus pays the price for our sins. All of them! It has a cleansing affect on our soul and when we stand before the Lord Jesus will answer on our behalf for our sins.
[Read Colossians 2:13-14.]
Jesus has completely paid the ultimate price for our sins – all of them. If we will simply turn to Him in faith, we will be forgiven – of all our sins!
[$500 grocery store gift card illustration.]
Jesus has paid the price for all our sins. Once we turn to Him in faith, they will be “wiped away” or “blotted out”. God will no longer look upon them and judge us. Forgiven!
Our eternal salvation brings us forgiveness. It also brings us an eternal refreshing.
[Read II Corinthians 5:17.]
God recreates us from the inside out which enables us to be the kind of people He’s created us to be. When we turn to Him in faith He refreshes who we are and gives us a new lease on life. A new outlook on life. A new attitude. A new hope. A new power to live like God’s created us to live. God refreshes our earthly life.
That refreshing is also for the kingdom life.
[Read Acts 3:19-21.]
Those verses refer to how one day the Lord will return and set up His kingdom on the earth and set things as they ought to be. It’s like He’ll be refreshing the entire earth with that new outlook, new attitude and new hope. When He comes to reign He refreshes the earth.
And of course, our eternal existence with God in Heaven will be that perfected state of refreshing that has no end. Listen to Revelation 21:4-5.
“And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; and there will no longer be any mourning, or crying or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
Our salvation provides us with forgiveness for all our sins and a refreshing of life that simply has no end. What a great salvation we have!
But sadly, there will be those who reject Jesus as Savior and who will pay the ultimate price. The offer of salvation is on the table. [7] But to reject the Truth condemns a person to eternal destruction. Just like a forgiven soul lives eternally with God in Heaven, an unforgiven soul lives eternally separated from God in Hell.
[Read Acts 3:22-26.]
Peter was saying to these faithful Jews that they should have known better. They had the Old Testament, they could have seen how Jesus’ life fulfilled hundreds of prophecies concerning the Messiah, and Jesus came to them first to reveal Himself. They had ever opportunity to believe and receive salvation. And since they were still alive to hear his message, they still had a chance to escape eternal destruction.
The Scriptures speak to us much in the same way today. We know what the Bible says about Jesus, we see Him evidences in people’s lives all around us, and we can feel His Spirit pulling at our heart drawing us closer towards God. And since we’re still alive to hear the message, we have a chance to repent and receive that great salvation He offers us.
[Read John 3:16-18.]
Maybe you’re here today and you’re ready to take that step of faith and fully believe in Jesus as Lord. This could be your day of forgiveness and refreshing! Stop trying to carry the burden of your sins and your eternal fate. You just can’t do it. Jesus died to carry that burden for you so that you can be with Him for eternity. Trust in Him today. He’s waiting with open arms waiting to welcome you into His family.
[8] Listen, eternity is now. Our life now is a part of the fabric of forever. The decisions we make now affect our eternal fate. Will we choose to follow the One who’s provided salvation for us? Or will we reject Him and His offer and be lost forever. Listen to this true story.
In July of 1976 Israeli commandos made a daring raid at an airport in Entebbe, Uganda in an effort to fee 103 Jewish hostages. Within 15 minutes it was all over. The hostages were freed and all the kidnappers were killed. But it wasn’t without tragedy. You see, three of the hostages had been killed in the raid.
When the Israeli commandos stormed the building they yelled in Hebrew, “Get down and crawl!” The hostages understood what they said and got down on the ground. The Ugandan kidnappers didn’t speak Hebrew so they stayed upright. The commandos shot everyone standing.
Three of the Israeli hostages didn’t do what the commandos ordered them to do. They remained standing and were shot with the kidnappers. Maybe they wanted to see what was going on? Maybe they weren’t paying attention? Who knows? But they had a chance to live and yet made a choice that cost them their lives.
What choice do you make today? [9]
[Salvific prayer.]
