A GRAND INVITATION & A GLORIOUS PROMISE
(PART 2)
Acts 3:19-26
(Antioch Baptist Church: Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025)
In the days before the internet and the vast theological resources that are now available at our fingertips many of us had certain bible study tools that were “standards” in our homes. These were usually a Scofield reference Bible, a Thompson Chain reference Bible, a Nave’s Topical Bible, a concordance, and then there was this little red paperback book called “The Bible Promise Book”. That book contained over 1,000 promises that are recorded in scripture. Though it was a great resource, it was not exhaustive, for there are far more than 1,000 promises recorded in the Word of God.
In his second Epistle, the Apostle Peter wrote that God has given us “exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these (we) may be partakers of the divine nature”. We certainly possess many “exceedingly great and precious promises” as followers of Christ. In our study of the Book of Acts we are currently examining, “A Grand Invitation & A Glorious Promise”. In our last session we focused on the “grand invitation”, today we will consider the “glorious promise”.
At the conclusion of Peter’s bold sermon at Solomon’s Portico, he cried out, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (v19). The grand invitation is for lost sinners to “repent” and be “converted”. The glorious promise for those who accept this invitation is that their sins will be “blotted out”.
The catalyst that led to the mass conversion after Peter’s sermon was the miracle that Jesus performed in the life of the lame beggar who was laid daily at the Beautiful Gate. After this man began walking and leaping and praising God, a vast crowd came running to the Apostles “in the porch, which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed.”
Peter made it clear to the crowd that was before him that it was not by the power of godliness of the Apostles that this man was made to walk, rather, it was through faith in Jesus’ name that “this man was made strong”. With great compassion the Apostle gave an invitation for the Jews in attendance to “repent and be converted” (v19). Even after rejecting and killing the sinless Son of God, there was an opportunity for these people to receive salvation.
- Peter follows up this grand invitation with a glorious promise. Let’s move further and consider:
THE GLORIOUS PROMISE
v19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
Peter’s compassion for the souls of his Jewish brethren shines through as he explains to them that they are not without hope; salvation was available if they would repent and believe in Jesus. He said that if they would repent they would be “converted”. The word “converted” is used throughout the New Testament to describe what happens when lost sinners turn to the Holy God. Many “great and precious promises” are given to those who repent and are converted.
When people repent and are converted, their sins are “blotted out”. If the Jews would repent and believe in Jesus, their sins could be completely washed away, consequently they would be washed away by the very blood that they were responsible for shedding.
The “blotting out” of sin is a wonderful promise for the children of God. The Hebrew word translated “blot out” means “to abolish, destroy, erase, or utterly wipe away,” In ancient times, people hand-wrote deeds, receipts, and bills with reed or quill pens and black ink made of soot, gum, and water. On the occasion where a printing error was made, it had to be covered. In some instances a writer would blot out the error on a document with ink and then rewrite the letter. When using parchment or vellum one could use a sharp blade and gently remove a thin layer of the animal skin (along with the ink). After this they could rewrite over the smoothed area. Ancient Romans often wrote on wax tablets, when an error occurred in a letter they could use sponges with vinegar to simply erase the erroneous text from their tablet and move on.
The only substance that is powerful enough to “blot out” man’s sins is the precious blood of Jesus. The spotless Lamb of God can blot out our transgressions, erase our sin debt, and make us clean before God. Thankfully, God promises that those who will repent can claim the wonderful promise that their sins are completely “blotted out”.
Under the Old Testament Law, God allowed the substitution of bulls, sheep, and goats. When their blood was shed, it symbolized what God would do when He sent His Messiah to be the final propitiation for sin. Through the blood of Jesus, God completely and eternally blots out the transgressions of every person who comes to Him in faith. In Isaiah 43:25 the Lord says to His people, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” Those who have had their transgressions blotted out by the blood of Jesus are forgiven and will spend eternity in heaven with Him.
- Let’s move further and consider some of the other promises that are recorded in our selected text. Notice:
v20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
Peter goes on to share that if the Jews would repent, God would send the Messiah, (Jesus Christ). This is a reference to the eventual return of the Lord to set up His Kingdom. There is no doubt that many individuals did in fact repent and believe in Jesus. They were converted and their sins were blotted out. However, Israel as a whole did not repent and Jesus has not yet returned (though we are assured that He will someday). Scholars like to debate whether Jesus would have returned if Israel had repented as a nation in those days, (we simply do not know the answer to this question.)
God in His infinite wisdom and knowledge knew that Israel would reject Jesus; Furthermore, His divine plan included a period pf grace between Christ’s ascension and Second Coming. It would not be beneficial for us to hypothesize as to what would have happened if the Nation of Israel had heeded the call to repentance, rather we should praise God that He has given us the opportunity to experience salvation and to possess a place in His Kingdom.
Christ is in Heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father and will remain there “until the times of restoration of all things”. One day, Christ will return and all of God’s creation that has been corrupted will be restored. God’s divine plan of redemption will be accomplished. Jesus will return and when He does He will not be the meek a lowly carpenter from Nazareth, He will return as King of kings and Lord of lords!
v22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.
In this passage Peter is quoting from Deuteronomy 18:15-19: "The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear…. “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.”
This is one of many Old Testament passages that speak to the future reign of Christ. Jesus is God’s prophet who announces God’s will and God’s law. God raised up Moses as a prophet and leader of His people, He raised up Christ in the same way. Jesus was God’s Prophet, He was sent by God and those who rejected His Prophet would be rejected by God.
v23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'
The crowd that was gathered around Peter was at risk of missing out on the covenant promises of God because of their rejection of His promised Messiah. Those who refuse to “hear God’s Prophet will be utterly destroyed”. Christ will return someday and He will rule and reign with ultimate power and authority.
In this passage the love and compassion of God is on full display, however, if these people continued in their rebellion and refused to surrender to Christ, they would face eternal judgment. This is the case for all who refuse to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. We are living in a day of grace. The opportunity for salvation abounds, yet if you refuse to surrender to Christ, if you reject Him the same way the Jews did, you will be “utterly destroyed”. The consequences of your refusal and rebellion will be eternal condemnation.
Again, Peter was not delivering a new message to the people who were gathered before him, he was actually pointing out the fact that the prophecies of old had been fulfilled before their very eyes.
v24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.
Samuel was a servant of God who lived during the days of the judges of Israel. He was the man whom God used to warn Israel that they did not need a king and he was also the man that God used to anoint both Saul and David as king of Israel. Samuel did not specifically prophesy about Christ, but he was essential in the establishment of David’s kingdom and it was through that royal line that the Messiah would come. All of God’s prophets pointed to the arrival of God’s Messiah. The Jews that were present there at Solomon’s Colonnade needed to understand that they were witnesses of the days that had been spoken of by the prophets of old.
v25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'
Genesis 22:17-18 records the covenant that God made with Abraham. He said “…I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."
The Jews did not realize it, but Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham. He is the source of the blessings that God promised to the Jewish people. Paul referenced this fact in - Galatians 3:16 “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ.”
Those who were gathered at Solomon’s Portico hearing the message of the Apostle Peter were the recipients of God’s promises; they were “the sons of the prophets”. God fulfilled His promise concerning the Abrahamic Covenant, He had provided Christ who was the one in whom He would bless “all of the families of the earth”. The Messiah was a decedent of Abraham and just as God promised, He has blessed the world through Abraham’s “seed”.
God chose Israel and sanctified them; He set them apart to be a holy nation that would teach the rest of the world about Him. They were to be the missionaries who introduced God’s Messiah. Unfortunately, when the Messiah arrived, He was not what they were expecting and they despised Him, rejected Him and killed Him.
v26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."
God “raised up His Servant Jesus” and sent Him first to the nation of Israel. Moses pointed to Him in the Law and the Prophets spoke of His arrival for hundreds of years; in God’s perfect timing the Messiah was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. He grew up and in time He began His earthly ministry. He lived a perfect life, taught with power and authority, performed many miracles and changed countless lives. His words and actions demonstrated the reality that He was the Promised One. God sent Him “to bless Israel in turning away every one of them from their iniquities”, but the Jews rejected Him. As John said in his Gospel, “He came unto His own and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11).
In mercy, grace and patient longsuffering God had given the people of Israel ample opportunity to repent and receive Christ as the promised Messiah. Tragically, in unbelief and stubborn rebellion they refused to hear God’s message or believe in His Son. We would love to think that the people responded accordingly to Peter’s message but that is not the case. The following chapters chronicle the hardheartedness of Israel and the increasing persecution against God’s Apostles and the other members of the early Church. In fact, Peter’s message was interrupted by some of the religious leaders who were furious that he was preaching in the name of Jesus:
Acts 4:1 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
While it is disturbing and disheartening that the majority of the Jews continued to reject Jesus as Messiah, it is also exciting and encouraging to read that “many of those who heard the word believed”. Some within this crowd heard the gospel and accepted the truth contained therein. They experienced all of the promises that Peter had shared in his address. They “repented”, they were “converted” and their sins were “blotted out”. Even though Peter and John were arrested and taken before the authorities, the number of converts to Christ’s Church increased, Luke says that “the number of the men came to be about five thousand”.
It is important to note that the emphasis in Peter’s message is on national repentance and restoration rather than individual. Furthermore, the context of these verses is speaking of the Kingdom, not the Church. With that being said, we have become recipients of God’s mercy and grace and we have the opportunity to receive salvation in Christ. As you continue to read the book of Acts you will see the continual rejection of Jesus by the Jews and as a result a great door was opened for the Gentiles. It is important that we understand that God’s grace for the Gentile was not an afterthought, it was all part of His divine plan.
Like the Jews in this passage, we must respond to the invitation that we have received; that is the invitation to “repent and be converted”. Those who “repent” and believe will be “converted” and our sins will be “blotted out”. We have the glorious opportunity to be a part of the Kingdom of God. On the other hand, those who refuse to surrender to Jesus will be “utterly destroyed”; they will face eternal condemnation in the lake of fire. I pray that you have accepted the “grand invitation” that has been provided through Jesus Christ. If you have, then you can claim all of the many promises that apply to those who are in Him.
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