They Just Don’t Preach Like This Any More
Acts 3:11-4:4
Martyn Lloyd Jones constantly reminded his parishioners in his sermons that the church did not suddenly arrive in the 1960’s, but has been around for two thousand years. He would recount all of the pundits of his day who tried to redefine the mission and message of the church to be relevant to the times. These church leaders felt that the church had to either adapt or die.
However, Lloyd-Jones took a different look at it. He could see the pathetic state of affairs in the church in England of his day. Only 5 percent attended Christian worship services on a given Sunday. Many who identified themselves as “Christian” were only culturally so. Lloyd-Jones instead pinned the church’s identity crisis and loss of power on the fact they left the Christian message behind and replaced Bible study with social gatherings, preaching with drama and skits, the message of the cross with a political and social message.
Dr. Jones invited the church to go back to its roots if it wanted to turn things around. The record of Apostolic preaching can be found in the Book of Acts. He spent many years preaching through the first eight chapters of Acts and these sermons have been preserved in books and some audio if you care to inquire further. He was far more eloquent than I would ever hope to be.
This morning, we see an example of apostolic preaching. The occasion was brought around by the healing of a lame man at the gate of the Temple. As this was at the hour of prayer, the Lord knew that a large crowd would be gathered at that time. The man had been carried there for forty years to beg at the Beautiful gate. As a cripple, he was not allowed to enter the sanctuary itself dud to a Rabbinic interpretation of the words of David when he was besieging Jerusalem. The healing allowed him to enter the Temple, into where the Jewish people felt was where the Lord was most present. The crowds knew this man. They had seen him for years. They could see when they looked at him that his feet were deformed. And they were utterly amazed to see him not just walking but jumping. This was no miracle like we would see today when a surgeon performs an operation and makes a cripple able to walk. That person would have to go through extensive physical therapy and would have to learn and walk just like everyone else. But this man immediately received strength, and started walking and jumping. Even the Jewish authorities could not gainsay what happened.
Naturally, the buzz spread throughout the crowd and caused many to turn aside to see this man. Here was a burning bush moment when God distracts us from the everyday affairs, even the humdrum of a church service, to get our attention. So they all gathered to the covered porch of Solomon. A place where rabbis often taught, or should I say “approved” rabbis.
Peter saw that the crowd had their attention and being led by the Holy Spirit began to speak. First of all, he tells them that they are fixing their attention on the wrong thing, that is upon Peter and John or upon the miracle itself. Peter and John were just instruments of Jesus who actually performed the miracle through them. It is not enough to distract the world for a minute, the distraction has to be rightly focused. Peter was fast to correct the misconception that the 120 in the upper room were drunk on new wine and from there redirected the experience to its proper focus which was it was the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.
Now that Peter had redirected the attention upon Jesus, he goes on to proclaim Jesus. In it, he does not candy coat the gospel like we see today. His approach was direct and blunt. Today a lot of people including many who call themselves “Christian” try to deflect the blame. He could have started with the fact that Pilate the Roman and maybe some of the Jewish leaders in cahoots with Pilate caused the death of Jesus.
Peter starts by being somewhat conciliatory. He still calls them “gentlemen and Israelites.” They are still identified as the people of God. After the disclaimer, he gets to the hard preaching. He reminds them. Of the covenant relationship to the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This was their privilege, but this relationship also had great responsibilities on their part to be faithful and obedient. The God of their fathers was to be held in uttermost reverence. But how had they acted? Instead of honoring God, they had rejected the very precious and promised servant whom God had promised to send them. It would have been bad enough if they had ignored Him, but they did more. They were all to blame. They stood condemned. They had betrayed an Israelite brother to the Roman authorities and had shouted for his death. The crowd could not pin the blame on their leaders or claim that they did not know. Of course there is a sense that they did not know what they were doing. But nevertheless as the common saying goes, “Ignorance is no excuse for the law.”
Who is this man they had rejected in favor of a murderer? Peter goes on to say that He was the Holy and Just One, a title ascribed to Yahweh in the Old Testament. Not only this, Peter calls him the “author” or creator of all life. These Israelites had not just killed a prophet. They had denied and murdered the God of the covenant. Peter is asserting more than Jesus being the current understanding of Messiah. They had crucified God! Jesus, the Son was murdered. We are appalled when some earthly dignitary like Martin Luther King is assassinated, and rightly so. What a horrible crime that was! But this is nothing compared to what the Jews had done. They had rejected and killed their Lord!
Not only this, but God raised the Son from the dead. It is one thing to be remorseful over having caused a good man’s death. But as the saying goes: “Let the dead stay buried.” Then a few tears could be shed and a monument in honor of Jesus erected. Maybe they could have had Yeshua day like we do MLK day. And then they might have turned it into an occasion for a sale. But now they had to deal with the fact that Jesus was alive, and the proof of this was in the healed man which the wonder workers of that day could not have claimed to have done. This could not be ascribed to the magicians of Egypt. The sign was undeniable.
Now Peter reminds them that they and their leaders had done this in ignorance. Sins of ignorance in the Old Testament could be pardoned as compared to presumptuous sins. Yes you did it. But what you did ignorantly was to fulfill the preordained plan of God Himself and was something that was recorded by the prophets in advance. There was a way out of that dilemma. They had not been rightly informed. They could no longer plead ignorance. They had been clearly told what they actually had done. The way out was the way of repentance. The two facets of repentance, the Greek and the Hebrew are presented. The Greek idea of repentance is to rethink the matter and make the right decision this time. The Hebrew idea is presented by the command, “turn.” They had to do a 180 from what they had previously done.
If they would repent, they would find relief from this dilemma which they faced. But Peter places the command on them that they must act on this pardon. He reminds them that Moses had foretold about Jesus with the warning that the one who rejected Him would be utterly cut off from the people. They would no longer be Israelites. If they did not act upon the offer, they stood in even a greater condemnation. The one who sins ignorantly and fails to obey the master was to be beaten with fewer stripes than one who knew it and refused to obey. They would not be able any more to claim their privilege. They would lose their connection to Israel because they persisted in unbelief. They did not believe Moses, the promise given to Abraham, the prophecies of Samuel and the prophets. What was left if they denied Jesus who is the very Lord of the Covenant. But if they repented, they would be restored. And they would be ushered into even a greater state of privilege.
The result of the sermon is that Peter and John were arrested and thrown into prison. The Sadducees would have none of this resurrection talk. They chose to reject the message. They showed themselves to be out of the covenant community of Israel. But many repented and believed, including many of the priests.
Now in all honesty, is this the preaching we see in most of the churches today? But this is the way God did it back then. Has God changed? Are we better informed about growing a church today? Show me the results! The church is too afraid of offending anyone today. We have watered down the gospel. The church in America grew wealthy. But we need a church that can “rise up and walk.”
I beg you fellow Christians that you consider what has been saying this morning. We are privileged with this greater status and claim the promises of God in Jesus. But are we in danger of losing the staus through disobedience and unbelief? It is time to be rightly informed and reminded of our heritage back to the days of the God of Peter, James, and the other Apostles who is the same God as of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation as the writer of Hebrews reminds us. It is time for the church to rethink who the Lord of the church is, our privileges, and our responsibilities.
We like the Israelites have the blood of Jesus on our hands and stand as responsible for the death of Jesus. As the Lutheran chorale “Ah, Holy Jesus” states “It was I who denied Thee. I crucified thee!” We must remember that it was the Father’s plan to send the Son, even before there was a world, even before man rebelled. The constant message of the Old Testament prophets agrees with Ezekiel that God does not desire the death of a sinner but that the sinner would repent and live. The New Testament affirms this. As Jesus could have evaded the cross, He in a sense takes even the responsibility of His own death upon Himself. But this is contingent upon belief that Jesus did this for us, the proof that His work met approval in His resurrection, and our proper confession that “He is LORD.” If we will but repent, we shall be refreshed.
Are we willing to proclaim this message, even though we might be arrested and beaten? Here is a real test of faith. Lloyd Jones even sees it as a proof that one is a true Christian or not. God wants us to proclaim the Gospel of shame without shame. In this the church will regain the true power.
I have done my best this morning to present to you the facts. Please consider them and think.
