Sermon 4-15-18 Pastor Ray Lorthioir Trinity Lutheran Church W. Hempstead, NY Based on the first lesson for the Third Sunday of Easter, Acts 3:11-21 Suffering Messiah Power Here s something that Jesus said to the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law that made them absolutely furious. Matthew 23:13, Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. How does one shut the kingdom of heaven in people s faces? It s simple. Don t teach that the Old Testament predicts a suffering Messiah. Jesus words still remain true 2,000 years later. Present day Orthodox Jewish teachers have no problem teaching a victorious Messiah who will usher in an era of world peace. They just have zero use for a suffering Messiah, especially a crucified one, even though the suffering Messiah is hidden in plain sight in Moses and the prophets. Therefore, when Jesus Jewish disciples first began to preach the suffering Messiah on the Day of Pentecost, a most incredible new day had arrived. Remember, we ve frequently taught that on Easter Sunday evening when the disciples were gathered in the upper room, something incredible happened. First, as we saw in last week s gospel lesson in John 20:22, he [Jesus] breathed on them [the disciples] and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. Then he commissioned them to proclaim the gospel saying in John 20:23, If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. This simply means that those who resist the suffering Messiah are not to be given a false assurance of the forgiveness of their sins. On the other hand, those who are penitent and believe in Jesus are to be given full assurance that they have received what the suffering Messiah came to do forgive sins and make us righteous. That s the commission to preach the gospel. Then, as we see in this week s gospel lesson from Luke 24:44-48, 44 He [Jesus] said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. We know from the book of Acts that Jesus action on Easter evening had a great effect. From that point on the disciples could understand the Scriptures and find Jesus, the suffering Messiah, all over the Old Testament. All their actions and preaching in the Book of Acts confirms this. We re so used to hearing about Jesus, the suffering Messiah, that we just consider it to be normal. But a believer in Jesus is not a normal person. Normal sinful human beings ignore or reject a suffering Messiah. On the other hand, 1
someone whacked by God s Holy Spirit can understand the Word of God and believe it. They can see Jesus the suffering Messiah and respond to His claim on their lives. They believe their sins to be forgiven in Jesus and that they are destined for righteous purity with the Lord in the coming kingdom of God. This just isn t normal! So, if we re all believers here, we re all weird. There are no normal people here. Something has happened to us. We re just like the people whom Lord Holy Spirit came upon in the book of Acts. Therefore, it should be easy for us weird people to analyze Peter s second great suffering Messiah sermon in this morning s first lesson. This sermon takes place after one of those marvelous events Lord Holy Spirit used to gather a crowd. We read in Acts 3:1-10, 1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer-at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, Look at us 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. No doubt there were many crippled beggars in Israel, probably many in Jerusalem itself. No doubt they all had a spot that they worked for alms every day. Well this guy had chosen the right spot more than he knew. Of all the crippled beggars in Israel, he would get something far greater than alms that day. He would get working legs and a lease on life. Peter and John had no money that day. They had something else the will and purpose of Lord Holy Spirit to heal this particular man. How they knew this, the Scripture doesn t say. Scripture also doesn t say how or if this man was worthy of the gift he received. It doesn t say if Peter and John told him anything about Jesus before healing him. All we know is that Peter and John zeroed in on this man once he had asked them for money. Then they offered to give him what they had Jesus. And by the cosmic authority of Jesus the man born crippled walked, jumped and ran. There is power and authority in the Name of Jesus. That we know from Scripture. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20 that He is present any time two or three come together in His Name. He said in mark 9:37 that whoever welcomes little children in His Name welcomes Him. In Luke 10:17 the seventy-two disciples came back to Jesus proclaiming that even demons were subject to them in His Name. In Luke 21:12 Jesus told us that we would suffer on account of His Name. He said in Luke 24:47 that the gospel would be preached to all nations in His Name. It declares in John 1:12 that all who believe in the Name of Jesus are given the right to become the children of God. Three times in John 14:13-14, John 15:16 and John 16:23-24 Jesus proclaims that we can ask for things that glorify God in His Name and receive 2
them because we have obeyed Him and loved one another. We re told in John 20:31 that by believing we have eternal life in the Name of Jesus. And here in Acts we are told more. Acts 3:9-13, 9 When all the people saw him [the formerly crippled man] walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. There s an important thing to be learned here. God never glorifies anyone who performs a miracle in Jesus Name. Nor does God glorify the person who receives the miracle. Anyone who wants to glorify themselves because of a miracle sins and thwarts the purposes of God. God s sole purpose in any miracle is to glorify His servant Jesus. Therefore, Peter had to rebuke and redirect the understanding of the people who had gathered. And such a rebuke would also be necessary today. Notice that Peter called Jesus the servant of God. The Greek word here can also be translated Son and that s the translation found in the King James Version. So, while calling Jesus a servant of God, Peter was also implying that Jesus is the Son of God. And now reading on we get what is essentially the Apostles Creed. Acts 3:13-15, 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. Coming up to gawk at a miracle, the people instead had condemnation preached to them. No doubt many of those people had participated in the rejection of Jesus before Pontius Pilate and had clamored for the release of Barabbas, the murderer, instead of Jesus. But by bringing these things to their attention, Peter established the identity of the one in whose Name the miracle had been performed. He was the suffering Messiah none other than Jesus of Nazareth, the man whose crucifixion they had clamored for. And these are the identifying historical marks of Messiah Jesus to this very day rejected by His own people before a gentile governor, exchanged for a murderer and turned over to gentile Romans for the hideous capital punishment of crucifixion. Making the condemnation all the more severe, Peter identified Jesus of Nazareth as the Holy and Righteous One, and the author of life. The word translated holy one literally means one who is physically sacred and pure, morally blameless. Peter could call Jesus that because of the many miracles Jesus had worked and because of His teaching. Peter could also call Jesus righteous and just because of His incredible behavior going to the cross and on the cross. He did not lead an insurrection when arrested and He forgave His enemies from the cross. Finally the word translated author means the chief leader, the captain or prince of life. And by using these 3
words Peter declared that Jesus had been elevated to the place of leadership over the whole human race. This is the role of Messiah. The people of Jerusalem had rejected their Messiah and killed Him. This is the mystery of the rejected suffering Messiah hidden in plain view in the Old Testament for hundreds of year before Jesus. Only by the anointing of Lord Holy Spirit can anyone receive the Apostles testimony that Jesus of Nazareth, crucified in Jerusalem, is the Holy and Righteous One, and the Author of Life. That was true on the day Peter preached this sermon. It s true today, and will be tomorrow. But then in verse 15, Peter turned to the good news. No matter what the people had done to Jesus, it was God s will to raise Jesus from the dead and make Him the immortal Messiah. And Peter said something very important in verse 15. We meaning the twelve are witnesses that Jesus of Nazareth was resurrected the living, immortal Messiah by Almighty God. For, Jesus did not show Himself alive as the victorious Messiah to His enemies, but only to those He had chosen as witnesses. The only testimony Jesus enemies had was the empty tomb. This meant that the only way to be saved in the summer months of 33A.D. was by believing the testimony of the witnesses to whom Jesus had shown Himself alive. The same is true today. Therefore, it becomes very important to be able to tell if these witnesses were lying or if they were telling the truth. But that s a matter for another time. Suffice it to say that the testimony of the witnesses is all we have and all God needs to turn us into those weird Christian people. Acts 3:16, By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. We re taught much about faith in this verse. Peter and John were used of God to perform a miracle by their faith in Jesus and the power of His Name. So Jesus was the object of their faith. And Jesus was also the source of their faith. This is to be expected if Jesus is God. He is both the source and object of our faith in Him. And then faith in the Name of Jesus has power. It always has the power to save souls. And sometimes Lord Holy Spirit uses it even to heal crippled bodies. Acts 3:17-18, 17 [Peter continued,] Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ [Messiah] would suffer. Peter knew the people of Jerusalem had acted in ignorance because they did not have two things. First, until they actually rejected and crucified Jesus, they did not have a suffering Messiah. Second, until Lord Holy Spirit came, they could not understand from Scripture that the Messiah must suffer. But Peter s good news was that both requirements had been met in Jesus Christ. Acts 3:19-21, 19 [Peter continued,] Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you even Jesus. 21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. Here we get another part of the Apostles Creed. The people standing in the temple that day would not get a chance to see the resurrected Jesus. For as Psalm 110:1 prophecies, the resurrected Messiah must remain in heaven at the right hand 4
of God until the great Day of the Lord. Therefore, the only way they could repent, have their sins wiped out and enjoy times of refreshing was by believing the testimony and message of Jesus witnesses. The very same thing is true for us. We don t know how many accepted the Apostles invitation to believe that day, because Peter s sermon was interrupted by the temple guards who arrested him and John. Nevertheless, the elements for salvation were there. First, the witnesses of Jesus resurrection were there to proclaim Him resurrected. Second, Peter called sin and rebellion what it is. Third, Peter proclaimed God s mercy through the suffering of the Messiah. Fourth, the Spirit of God was present and active in hearts as they preached the gospel. There was also a fifth optional element that day. The healed man was a demonstration of the power and truth of the Apostles message. But, when the Word of God is preached, the Holy Spirit doesn t need such demonstrations to convert hearts. He converts simply through the Word. Nevertheless, it s always encouraging to know that Lord Holy Spirit does give demonstrations of miracle power when it suits the purposes of God. Therefore, may we glorify the Name of Jesus in Word and Sacrament. May Jesus Name be glorified through us in all the optional ways Lord Holy Spirit might choose gifts of the Spirit, healings and miracles. May we be open to the justifying power of the forgiveness of sins and the Lord s time of refreshing. Amen. All Bible quotes are from the NIV. 5