Acts 3:11-26 How God Blesses REVIEW: Jesus is raised from the dead The Day of Pentecost / filled with The disciples lives are forever changed Peter & John were on the way to prayer A Lame man lay at the Temple gate o (Likely many other beggars there ) o God s timing & providence for him Tell Silver & gold have I none Walking & leaping & praising God The people just witnessed an undeniable miracle. o Read V:10 Peter now takes opportunity to preach the Gospel The Gospel (V:13-15) The God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob has kept His promise in sending the Messiah who paid the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross. We know this is more than just words because Jesus then rose from the dead! The death, burial and resurrection are the centerpiece of the Gospel. The resurrection is the pinnacle concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Romans 1:3-4 (Discuss & explain importance of the Resurection ) Page 1 of 9
READ entire text V:11-26 PRAY Notice right up front HOW Peter says God blesses V:26 (Comments?) Today as we examine another one of Peter s Gospel messages we will discover many truths about the true Gospel. Among them, 4 benefits of repentance V:11 Solomon s porch (2 Power Points) gate / porch This lame man, never having walked before, understandably clang to Peter & John V:11b-12 The Gospel message is NOT about US, but about HIM Why do you marvel at this (V:12). This is the kind of thing your God does! V:13a The first thing Peter said about Jesus in this sermon drew attention to the idea that Jesus was the perfect Servant of the Lord, and spoken of in the Hebrew Scriptures (Isaiah 42 and 52:13-53:12). The concept of the servant of the Lord was well-known in Israel because of Isaiah 53 and other texts. Behold! MY SERVANT whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. Isaiah 42:1, NKJV. See, MY SERVANT will prosper; he will be highly exalted. Many were amazed when they saw him--beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person. And he will again startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they Page 2 of 9
will see what they had not previously been told about; they will understand what they had not heard about. Isaiah 52:13-15, NLT. Who has believed our message? To whom will the LORD reveal his saving power? MY SERVANT grew up in the LORD s presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected--a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. Isaiah 53:1-6, NLT. Notice that the Gospel is NOT a feel good message. It s NOT a you re great / you can do it message! The Gospel message CREATES GUILT! (V:13b-14) The Gospel message places RESPONSIBILITY for the death of Christ UPON US ALL! To be greatly amazed (11) by a miracle not enough! They were AMAZED but NOT SAVED Being RELIGIOUS is NOT ENOUGH They needed to hear & understand the Gospel They needed to know their NEED for forgiveness of sin & EMBRACE God s solution! JESUS! Page 3 of 9
Peter knew that saving faith did NOT come by SEEING or EXPERIENCING MIRACLES We are saved by grace through faith For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8, 9, NKJV. Saving faith comes through hearing God s word faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17, NKJV. V:14 Note the TITLES given to JESUS The Holy One Here Peter exalted Jesus as God. The term Holy One (NKJV) over 40 X in the OT as a high and glorious title for Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel. (also righteous one ) (Examples PP) The Just ( The righteous One NU) Again, a title used to describe God! (see PP) V:15 The Prince of Life (found only here) NLT The author of life / HCB source of life A THOUGHT - (YOU KILLED the Prince of Life!) When Peter spoke of sin, he used the word YOU several times. (In the sermon on the day of Pentecost it is recorded that he only used it once) (Acts 2:23). You delivered up and denied (V:13) You denied the Holy One and the Just (V:14) Page 4 of 9
[You] asked for a murderer to be granted to you [You] killed the Prince of Life V:15 Again the resurrection is a crucial ingredient of the Gospel message. And the apostle s message was always, We are witnesses of the resurrection Let s explore now the benefits of Faith in Christ Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle s. Psalms 103:1-5, NKJV. V:16 (ESV Notes) His name, in the full biblical sense of name, means everything that is true about the person, and therefore, in a sense, the person himself. By faith in his name refers to Peter's faith rather than to any faith on the part of the lame man. Jesus healed the man, and faith (or trust) in Jesus also healed the man, because Jesus worked through Peter's faith. the faith that is through Jesus. Jesus himself imparts this kind of miracle-working faith to people's hearts. V:17-18 Forgiveness of sins through the cross of Christ was not some recent invention Page 5 of 9
It was foretold through the prophets of old Gen 3:15, Ps 22, Is 52 & 53, Dan 9:26 OK, so God s plan of salvation was promised from the beginning. Jesus died for my sins and rose So what do I do about it? V:19 REPENT met-an-o-eh'-o A change of heart, change of mind and change of direction Repent 26X in NT used as a command Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Mt 11:20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: Mr 1:15 and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel. Mr 6:12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. Lu 13:3.. unless you repent you will all likewise perish. BE CONVERTED - Peter knew the necessity of conversion, God s work of bringing new life to us. Being a Christian is not turning over a new leaf, it is being a new creation in Christ Jesus 2 Cor 5:17. Cp. You must be born again Let s examine the 4 benefits of repentance Page 6 of 9
V:19 contains the first 2 benefits of repentance 1. Sins blotted out Here is our greatest need If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. Psalms 130:3, 4, NKJV. Ink in the ancient world had no acid content and didn t bite into the paper. It could almost always be wiped off with a damp cloth. Peter said that God would wipe away our record of sin just like that What can wash away my sins? If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 2. Times of refreshing (V:19) 2 nd benefit of repentance. ( from the presence of the Lord) Sin will wear you out! (Temporary pleasures ) Repentance will bring you back to life! Are you weary / worn out? You don t need a vacation. You need refreshing from the Lord! (V:20) V:21 Jesus is coming back some day. And when He returns the restoration of all things A new heaven and a new earth! (as promised) Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away Revelation 21:1a And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they Page 7 of 9
shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:3, 4, NKJV. V:22-23 More prophecies about Jesus (Deut 18) V:23 suggests the 3 rd great benefit of repentance and turning to God Being spared judgment of sin For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23, NKJV. V:24-26 The 4 th benefit of repentance BLESSINGS! How would you define blessings? God defines blessing Deliverance from sin! Jesus whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. John 8:34 Paul I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. Romans 7:14b, NLT. Pictures of repentance But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Romans 6:17-18 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. Romans 6:22, NKJV. Repentance is a change of mind & heart. You used to think sin is great and pursue it wholeheartedly Repentance turns from serving sin to serving God Page 8 of 9
Repentance brings forgiveness of sin, times of refreshing, escape from judgment & deliverance from the slavery of sin PRAYER - God grant us repentance! END Page 9 of 9