From Sin To Redemption

Secular -

A priest and a baptist are in a car crash and it's pretty bad. Both of their cars are totaled but neither one of them is hurt. After they crawl out of their cars, the baptist says, "So you're a priest. That's interesting; I'm a baptist preacher. Wow, just look at our cars! There's nothing left to either one of them but we're unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace."

The priest replies, "Oh, yes, I agree. It's a miracle that we survived and are here together." "And here's another miracle," says the baptist. "Our cars are destroyed but there is a bottle of wine in your seat that didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink the wine to help celebrate our good fortune," he says, handing the bottle to the priest.

The priest nods in agreement, opens the wine, drinks half of it, and hands it back to the baptist. The baptist takes it and puts the cap back on.

"Aren't you going to have any? asks the priest.

"Not right now," says the baptist. "I think I'm going to wait until after the police make their report."

Historical/Cultural Context -

Luke was a physician and a travel companion of the apostle Paul. He wrote the book of Acts. The earliest possible date of Acts is immediately after the events that Luke recorded in, which would have been c. A.D. 62. Acts is addressed to “Theophilus,” about whom nothing more is known. Luke’s broader audience consisted primarily of Gentile Christians like Theophilus who had already “been taught” about Jesus.

Biblical Text -

Acts 3:11–26 NKJV

Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - You Can’t Get To The Result Of Redemption Without The Reality Of Your Sin, Learning The Promises of Repentance.

Life Point- The Reality Of Our Sin

Exegetical -

Acts 3:11–16 NLT

They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John. Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and 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. You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact! “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.

Homiletical -

The noise of this miracle got around very quickly. A huge crowd gathered at Solomon’s Porch to see this man who once was lame, walk. It says that he hung on to Peter and John. I would have too assuming that these guys had the power to make the sick well, because of their godliness right?

not so much, Peter immediately dispels that thought when he addresses the crowd. He says it is not by his own power or godliness that the man was made well. But God who chose to make him well.

There are a lot of preachers out there that I say get the big head. They are constantly thinking their ministry is for God, not from God.

They operate in such a way that they start believing in their own hype.

They believe the ministry will fall apart without them, but that just simply isn’t the case. God can call you home at any time and raise up another leader.

Also, unfortunately today we have what I call Meeting Marvels. They run around to whoever the next popular word-of-faith preacher is hoping for some kind of miracle, never really receiving one but get a good feeling from the service.

You don’t understand pastor they got the laser lights and fog machines and they got the drums and guitars and the sing the same 7 chords 11 times. You know what that stuff usually does to the average person?

1) It makes them feel entertained

entertainment is not why we go to church. Oh don’t get me wrong I like music that is worshipful and ushers me into worship. I don’t like entertainment for the sole purpose of drawing a crowd. There is a fine line there and it can be crossed easily.

2) The other purpose of doing the 7-11 that is the same 7 chords 11 times is to bring people into a light hypnotic trance. They may say they don’t want that and that is not their reasoning, but that is exactly what happens which leaves people feeling really good.

People will tell you that’s not happening but it has documented by Hank Hanegraph in his book Christianity in Crisis.

But pastor that’s not happening to me! How do you know when it is very subtle, unless you look for it.

You know what happens to a Meeting Marvel when they go to another meeting or church that makes them feel better than the one they’re at? They leave their church looking for the next Marvelous thing.

So rather than be led by faith and not by sight. They start being led by sight and sound, not by faith.

Back to our main text, he says that the miracle is from God. The same God they are there to worship at the temple. Not only that it comes from Jesus the one who was crucified even though Pilate found no guilt in him, they called for His execution.

He reminds them that not only that but they called for a murderer to be release instead of Jesus.

Now lest there be any doubt who Jesus is, he says they killed the author of life. That’s right God made manifest in the flesh.

He says you know that guy? Yeah, He is the one who did the miracle, not us. You know it is real because it was done before your eyes and not only that you know how crippled he was because for years he was at the Gate Beautiful begging for money and you saw him day-in and day-out.

When we look at any of the New Testament saints who are apart of miracles not one claims the power for themselves, they give all credit to Jesus and they mean it. The one man who thought he could buy the power of the Holy Spirit is rebuked. We will look at him later.

Life Point - The Promise of Repentance

Exegetical -

Acts 3:17–21 NLT

“Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things. Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.

Homiletical -

Peter does soften his harsh words by saying he realized that what they did to Jesus they did in ignorance and he appeals to the prophecies in the Old Testament that must be fulfilled about the messiah.

Then he tells them what we tell unbelievers today. Repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

This was a radical message. Every other religion and indeed every other religion today has some sort of acts of contrition that you must follow in order to be considered clean or saved.

This is not so with Biblical Christianity. In Biblical Christianity forgiveness is given and our response to that forgiveness is repentance.

1 John 1:8–10 NLT

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

What is the promise of repentance outlined here?

Your sin is wiped away

Times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord

Jesus will come again for you, who is now not just the Messiah but your Messiah. Your Savior.

All of these promises are fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy

Illustration -

I heard of a new believer who was confessing his sins in the shower and he said it was like he was washing his outside and God was washing his inside.

I think this is a great way to describe it.

You can take multiple showers a day but you aren’t truly clean until Jesus cleanses you on the inside too.

Matthew 23:25–26 NKJV

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Life Point - The Result Of Redemption

Exegetical -

Acts 3:22–26 NLT

Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’ Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’ “Starting with Samuel, every prophet spoke about what is happening today. You 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.’ When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.”

Homiletical -

Peter is reminding them of some of the prophecies found in the Old Testament and what the results are for us today of those prophecies.

Moses predicted another prophet like him would rise up and anyone who didn’t listen would be cut off

This still happens today. You can be chugging along in your sin, hear the message of redemption and end up ignoring it. You can end up not listening for so long that you die and up in hell because you would not listen.

Then since the time of Samuel, another great prophet, every prophet spoke about Jesus and this dispensation of grace, this time when salvation is freely given yet so many still do not believe and ignore the message of the cross.

Peter was talking to Jews so he reminds them that they are the children of those prophets are included in covenant God promised their ancestors and through this Jewish Messiah all the nations of the world can be made right with God. But yet still so many still don’t believe in Christ.

Do you believe the result of belief in Christ? The result being forgiveness of sin and peace between God and yourself?

1 Peter 2:24 NLT

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

Colossians 2:14 NLT

He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.

Romans 3:22 NLT

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

Life Principle– You Can’t Get To The Result Of Redemption Without The Reality Of Your Sin, Learning The Promises of Repentance.

Call to Action – altar call….