3.3.21 4.21.2024 Acts 3.19-21 It’s Not Complicated

Start:

Acts 3:18–21 ESV

18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

Entice: Repetition is good. Reinforcement is a cornerstone of good education and virtually every learning experience. We should not be surprised that from the very beginning the Church’s message was told essentially the same way every time. The template was established in Jerusalem, and we see the same basic story told throughout the Mediterranean basin as the mission expanded.

Engage: In the 21st century there is a preoccupation with reinventing the Christian message, both the story of Jesus which conveys the saving Gospel and the story of the Church as told in the Acts and epistles, which guide us in Christian living.

I would never say that this is an easy process. I’ve been doing it for 40ish years and work harder at it at 61 than I did at 21. The story of Jesus requires a creative approach to telling the same story repeatedly in the various contexts and circumstances in which we find ourselves.

The Gospel does not change!

From sermon to sermon,

encounter to encounter,

audience to audience,

context to context

the message must be consistent. Consistency inoculates against confusion. Confusion is the enemy of certainty. It really is not complicated

we must be certain.

Expand: The book of Acts is the story of The Story being told. The Acts describe both the process and nature of the expanding Kingdom seen in the growth of the Church. Virtually every time the message is proclaimed there are echoes of previous sermons. There is not a lot of new information because the basic parameters for the Church’s message were established at the outset.

The variety of

settings,

circumstances,

and

contexts

help us to manage our own

settings,

circumstances,

and

contexts

whilst keeping the message fresh.

Excite: Then we can be clear, certain, and confident. Without clarity, certainty, and confidence it is difficult to be effective at telling the story with passion and creativity.

Explore:

You cannot be certain when you are confused.

Expand: Again, we are Reminded of the basic elements of our uncomplicated Gospel

Body of Sermon: The message begins with

1 Revelation

Acts 3:18 (ESV)

18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.

The Message of Jesus is always grounded in the Bible. God has revealed Himself in scripture, the final ultimate revelation is of course Jesus.

Peter reminds us that His life and ministry were

1.1 Foretold.

No accident. No oversight. God’s plan of the ages foretold in the whole of the OT. The Messianic message was always the message of His suffering.

And Peter tells us that the very life of Jesus, the “good news” first preached and then recorded in our Gospels

1.2 Fulfilled

All that was expected; Jesus accomplished. Because of what He did It is appropriate for us to recommend

2 Repentance

Acts 3:19 (ESV)

19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

The kernel concept of repentance is a change of mind. Peter does a good job here of specifying what repentance means for those who are coming to Jesus.

It means

2.1 Turning back.

From our own will and intention to Gods.

And real repentance means

2.2 Looking forward.

With our sins forgiven we are able to fully commit ourselves to living a righteous life of discipleship.

The next element of this message is

3 Refreshment

Acts 3:20 (ESV)

20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,

The result, the outcome of this process of understanding the revelation about Jesus, and undergoing repentance is the ongoing, indwelling Holy Spirit.

3.1 From the presence of the Lord

The “origin of the Holy Spirit”

3.2 Because of the work of Jesus.

Which brings us to the final element

4 Restoration

Acts 3:21 (ESV)

21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

The Gospel details a reclamation project. The restoration of God’s fallen creation to and by His appointed and anointed one.

There are two primary tangible marks of this restoration. First the

4.1 Ascension of the King.

What did this “event” that happened to Jesus have to do with the restoration of creation and the extension of the Kingdom?

Everthing.

The accession of Jesus is about enthronement. He is the King. The Church is His Kingdom. His Spirit animates our

4.2 Action in the kingdom.

Our ongoing extension of the Jesus’ Lordship through the preaching and teaching of the Gospel—telling His Story—which closes the loop and brings us back one more time to the fact that Jesus is the fulfillment of all God’s promises and the heart of the whole OT.

Shut Down

It is a challenge to be creative, engaging, energetic and compelling when the story never changes. Perhaps we should look at it from a slightly different angle.

In the trial of a lawsuit an attorney wants a witness to be consistent with herself. And an attorney wants consistency between witnesses. Different stories can be confusing to a jury. In that context a creative lawyer uses all her skill, creativity, and craft to tell an engaging and compelling story from those consistent, essential facts.

The story of Jesus requires us to state His case, to tell His story before an unbelieving world.

The story of Jesus really is not complicated. We sometimes make it complicated by mishandling the story. I want every one of you, every Christian to know the story of Jesus. That is the greatest joy of discipleship to lead someone through the process of understanding God’s revealed will, helping them to understand repentance, so that they can feel the refreshment of the Spirit in a restored relationship with our God. He has called us to tell others the story.

It is that simple.