The Preaching that was the result of the healing
Acts 3:11, “11They all rushed out to Solomon’s Colonnade, where he was holding tightly to Peter and John. Everyone stood there in awe of the wonderful thing that had happened.”
The man clung tightly which was a witness in and of itself of the nature of the miracle of which we examined last night. They stood in awe because perhaps they did not understand that this was of God, much like the ministry of Christ, the people hardened the hearts instead of turning towards God they were bound in legalism. Peter’s sermon was about to spark a wildfire of controversy in Jerusalem.
Acts 3:12, “12Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. "People of Israel," he said, "what is so astounding about this? And why look at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power and godliness?”
What the Apostle here is suggesting is the nature of all ministry. We cannot do ministry on our own power and strength. Though the Israelites were knowledgeable about Scripture they failed to understand and see that this miracle was really part of the miracle work God was revealing in this day and age through the proclamation of His Son. The reality was that the godliness that they held too while good and well meaning was misguided and ill-informed since the announcement of God’s love and holiness as revealed through the Cross, now, through His resurrection now, and through His Ascension. The Apostles were eye-witnesses to this event, the people of Jerusalem could not deny this fact nor did they try, they just tried to shut out the truth because the truth was piercing to the very fabric of our being. Once again when we hurt another believer, we do it unto the least of these, unto those who are hurting we do it to them. (Matthew 25:31-41). The point is that here Peter is trying to get the Israelites the Jews to see that the Good News while piercing is able to change them from being just Jews to now being completed in Him by faith in the Messiah whom they held too for so long.
Acts 3:13-15, “13For it is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of all our ancestors who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. 14You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. 15You killed the author of life, but God raised him to life. And we are witnesses of this fact!”
The Old Testament usage is pretty obvious here in Peter’s sermon. He uses the God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and Jacob to point the Jews towards God’s faithfulness to them as a nation. This is what that stood for in the times of the Jews what it would have meant to them was that God had not forgotten them, that He was still a covenant God, the God of Israel. Luke continues with the theme of Pilate as he did in Luke, yet this time points out that it was Pilate’s decision to release him. Yet Pilate did not release Christ instead giving him up which really points to responsibility in sin.
Each one of us in some way is responsible for killing the Author of Life. We have sinned each one of us in our own ways at our own times, done what we wanted and thus by violation violated God’s holy commands and thus suffered the consequences, of deserving hell but not perhaps understanding that we are but one breathe away from stepping into hell, from grace if not grace be to hell we would go. Oh that more Pastors would understand the dangers that they are preaching, and gasp in holy fear and tremble before God of holiness and judgment rather than the self preconceived notion of a God only of love, caught out of the proper biblical understanding of His attribute as Holy and Righteous. How dare we mislead our people and cause them to not fully understand who God is, for this is the primary mission and ministry of a Pastor-theologian which all Pastors are, to help the people of God understand God and to spark the flames of faith towards holiness and honor in God’s name. Yet this is exactly what the teachers in Jerusalem did not do, instead of pointing men and woman towards the Messiah, expected, they instead pointed them towards the tradition of men instead of pointing them to the sin as the Prophets did of old. This is why the Prophets of Israel each one of them was killed. This is exactly the point of Hebrews 11:32-34, “32Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.”
Acts 3:16, “16"The name of Jesus has healed this man--and you know how lame he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has caused this healing before your very eyes.”
The context of this verse suggests that it was not the man’s faith that made him well albeit it the man was praising God, but it was more than likely the faith of the Apostle Peter and Apostle John standing next to him with regards to which the healing of this man occurred. Faith in Jesus commits us to Christ and begins the process of inner healing or sanctification. It is obvious as I suggested earlier that this man was well known throughout Jerusalem as an almsgiver yet the fact of this is strengthened by and you know how lame he was before which would suggest further that God’s intention here was to expose Israel’s real question which was the result of the miracle, “Is God really real?’ Perhaps they had lost sight of the fact that the God who took them out of the land they formerly lived in and parted the Red Sea defeated many nations so that they could occupy the land they so now enjoy, perhaps they had lost picture of the God who conquered for them, who had always been there for them, been faithful as a father could be to a people who did not, who loved to live as they wanted despite God’s repeated judgments through the Prophets whom God sent to warn them of the idolatry of there hearts. It is through faith in Christ, through His blood atonement on the Cross that we are saved, by grace through faith in Messiah, so if today you have not repented of your sin and believed upon Him, what greater day than now? The responsibility for the decision rests solely upon you today, not upon me or anyone else. What you decide will affect the rest of your life, not this life perhaps, but definitely the next, so make sure your decision is based upon the right facts, not upon the wrong philosophy.
Acts 3:17, “17"Friends, I realize that what you did to Jesus was done in ignorance; and the same can be said of your leaders.”
Peter here may thus be raising an distinction from the Old Testament in regards to willful sins and sins done in ignorance (Numbers 15:22-31). It was Jesus though who prayed for those who crucified Him, praying in Luke 23:34, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” Apostle Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 2:8), “They would have not crucified the Lord of glory.” You see while they acted in ignorance those who have heard have no reason to act ignorant. While these Jews were among the first to hear of God’s new means of salvation through the sacrifice of Christ, yet now today after hearing the Gospel, some may hear it once and have only one chance to repent and turn unto Him, and some may have a lifetime of sitting on the pew hearing endless sermons bounce off of the heart yet not repent. Does this make it anymore or less fair? No, because human responsibility is not a factor in terms of God’s active involvement within humanity. God has designed human beings with a determined will to choose Him, yet given Him the nature of choice in terms of free will, while chosen Him before the foundations of the world to bear His glory, yet given choice to experience that reality of faith within the context of life that they choose to live regardless. Yet in fact if we don’t see the nature of choice verses responsibility we perhaps have lost sight of the whole meaning of the Gospel thus having accepted another version of truth other than what God prescribed for us in the death of Christ on the Cross.
While some have accepted the fact that they are sinners what is important is that sins of omission and commission are just as grievous as the sins of ignorance and willful sins. We can pretend all we like for all we like but the real truth is that many of us, instead of experiencing God’s fullness of personhood involved in our lives are settling for a far cheaper and less costly road than the road towards holiness in Christ, which is lined with nails and thorns. If we truly desire to walk beyond the façade then we will embrace the road of suffering not running away from it. You see the nature of the miracle sparked the first fires of persecution the early church would experience which we will be looking at next time. If we desire to be so hot for Christ and fan the flames of others faith then we had best take a look deep at our own hearts, lest we fall into the same comfortable zone that the Israelites had going for them as God’s Chosen nation. While we are all children of Abraham through faith in Christ (Galatians 3:27-28), yet we the Church are called to fufill the commission Israel did not, yet God has not given up on Israel (Romans 9-11), God will still use Israel as the focal point of all the nations, and those who oppose Israel will oppose the Lord Jesus. While we may sin yet in the dark yet God will shine forth His light and His ray of fire upon us so that we would see the areas where we are weak and thus turn in expectancy of His coming return for His bride, the Church of whom our head is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
Acts 3:18, “But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had declared about the Messiah beforehand--that he must suffer all these things.”
The Old Testament spoke of Christ’ sacrifice in Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and Zechariah 12:10. The nations rejection of Him was foretold in Isaiah 53:3, God used the evil intentions to fufill His own purposes (Acts 2:23; Gen 50:20).
Acts 3:19, “19Now turn from your sins and turn to God, so you can be cleansed of your sins.”
Peter’s appeal to repentance is based upon the reality of choice verses responsibility as we have already seen. The Jews and us today have a responsibility to repent and believe upon the reality of Christ the Messiah’s sacrifice for us on the Cross to give us new life. That choice and responsibility are all up to us cause through His sacrifice on the Cross, He gave us that very choice to choose either to turn to Him or to turn upon ourselves and thus repeat the fall all over again. That men and woman today don’t understand this is not surprising really, because the God of this age, Satan wishes to blind men from the truth of knowing and experiencing a very real God who loves them and wants them to be holy today right now through faith in His Son’s sacrifice, resurrection and Ascension to glory. It is only through this sacrifice that you can receive Him and be His child. Have you made that decision today?
Acts 3:20, “20Then wonderful times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will send Jesus your Messiah to you again.”
This is an obvious illusion to the millennial reign of Christ. During this time Christ will rule absolutely on His Throne. This is the kingdom of which the Jews longed for. The Jews longed to see the Messiah reign personally on earth and to have their enemies vanquished. The prophets had spoken of a glorious period of rest for the people who had known little peace over the centuries. Tragically, when the King had came to offer that kingdom they rejected Him. It is impossible to have the Kingdom unless one accepts the King of that very Kingdom. This Kingdom will be a time of showers of blessing (Ezek 34:26), Isaiah saw that kingdom as a time when God “will pour water on him that is thirsty” (Isaiah 44:3 KJV), Joel 2 gives a description of the coming of the kingdom, even referring to it as a time of satisfaction (2:26). No people in history have been as ill treated endured so much suffering and persecution as have the Jews, yet all that has culminated in the past century in this insane attempt to exterimate the Jews from the Nazis and the terrorist attacks on Israel today will all be ended at the coming Kingdom, the Millennial reign of Christ.
Passages such as Isaiah 11:6-10, “6In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard and the goat will be at peace. Calves and yearlings will be safe among lions, and a little child will lead them all. 7The cattle will graze among bears. Cubs and calves will lie down together. And lions will eat grass as the livestock do. 8Babies will crawl safely among poisonous snakes. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes and pull it out unharmed. 9Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain. And as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD. 10In that day the heir to David’s throne[1] will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, for the land where he lives will be a glorious place.”, and Isaiah 35:1-10, “1Even the wilderness will rejoice in those days. The desert will blossom with flowers. 2Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel’s pastures and the plain of Sharon. There the LORD will display his glory, the splendor of our God.
3With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. 4Say to those who are afraid, "Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you." 5And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. 6The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will shout and sing! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the desert. 7The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.
8And a main road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-hearted people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there. 9Lions will not lurk along its course, and there will be no other dangers. Only the redeemed will follow it. 10Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return to Jerusalem,[1] singing songs of everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be overcome with joy and gladness.”
Acts 3:21-24, “21For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his prophets. 22Moses said, `The Lord your God will raise up a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’[2] 23Then Moses said, `Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be cut off from God’s people and utterly destroyed.’[3]”
Again the truth of the Millennial reign is reiterated through the proclamation of Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15. God will establish His Kingdom through Jesus the Messiah who shed His blood for us. It is only through faith in Him that we will be made whole. Peter’s usage of this verse linked with the others shows the early believers in Christ desire to show all who heard the Gospel, the Messiah as He truly was. Such sadness is that today the Church does not preach the Prophetic Scriptures nor look forward to the day of the King when He shall return for her and gather her up unto Himself. May instead of looking towards tomorrow may we as the Bride of Christ, look forward to the day when He shall return to take away His sheep from earth so that they can be perfected and holy spotless and without wrinkle to take to battle, when He battles the Satanic forces, the unholy trinity of Satan, Antichrist and the False Prophet at Armageddon. May we all be ready to stand before the Lord Jesus Christ at judgment, its up to you today to decide which judgment you will be at, the one where we shall be judged for our works as believers, or the judgment of being cast eternally into the lake of fire along with the Satanic host. Its up to you to decide today friend. The linkage between the messianic prophecies and the modern day for Peter was devastating to his hearers and ought to be today. The Messiah is returning to expose the elements of our society that do not want to be exposed, may all who believe in His name, praise His name, and may all who do not shutter at His name in terror.
Acts 3:24-26, “24"Starting with Samuel, every prophet spoke about what is happening today. 25You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, `Through your descendants all the families on earth will be blessed.’[4] 26When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways."
Samuel is recorded as the Prophet because he anointed King David as King over Israel (1 Samuel 3:20; 13:14; 15:28; 16:13; 28:17). Peter ends his sermon on a happy note though giving the people his hearers a chance to repent. Peter knew the Israelites to be the Covenant people and thus appealing to there senses now was thus making a plea for them to understand and thus enter into the new relationship God had offered to them through Christ’s Passover sacrifice. Abraham is our spiritual father, the father of our faith, but Christ is our Savior, and it is through Christ that we can know God and experience His life within us. Repent of your sins today, come into the light and know Jesus. Its time dear friend as Peter’s powerful sermon and miracle have shown us, to point your life towards Christ. There is no other way to life under the sun than to live for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lord’s. He is coming back ever closer everyday may we all turn our lives over to Him, so that He can send times of refreshing upon us granted us ever a greater understanding of His wisdom and grace. So now we have seen the preaching that was the result of the healing.
If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior today, I invite you to. If you would like to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today, all you must do is decide today that you want to change your behavior, and believe upon what Christ did for you today by tearing apart the veil that separated you from Him, thus enabling you to enter into His presence. If you did that today, I would love to hear of your decision at david@servantsofgrace.net
Pastor Jenkins
http://www.servantsofgrace.net
