Cornerstone part 2b

Introduction

Last week we started looking at Peter’s sermon after the healing of the man born lame who was begging in front of the temple. As mentioned, I split the sermon into two because there’s so much here.

Last week we read verses 11-16...((Read Acts 3:11-16))

And we saw the first two truths that are foundational to the church for all times, in all locations, regardless of the specific mission of the church:

Foundational Truth #1: We point people to Jesus.

Foundational Truth #2: We tell people about their greatest need: that their sins need to be forgiven.

This morning we will look at the rest of the passage and see the two other foundational truths for the church.

Body: Acts 3:17-26

Verses 17-26

“...I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers...”

After coming down real hard, Peter now begin to show them that there is hope. He knows they were just ignorant to the truth, mainly because of the poor teachings of the religious leaders, who were also ignorant.

But weren’t they paying attention to Jesus ministry?

Yes, but he didn’t come like they expected, so they rejected him. Truth is, they probably thought they were doing the will of God by getting rid of Jesus.

They didn’t understand his true nature, thus they were ignorant.

Luke 23:34 ESV

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

1 Corinthians 2:8 ESV

None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

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

Then Peter makes it clear to them that this was all spoken about by the prophets, and thus Jesus suffering fulfilled prophecy.

Isaiah 53:2–5 ESV

For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:6–9 ESV

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Isaiah 53:10–12 ESV

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Psalm 22:1 ESV

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

Zechariah 12:10 ESV

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus...”

All this builds up to the decision time: Peter calls them to repent so their sins will be blotted out and that times of refreshing may come from God, especially when Christ returns.

Repentance

To turn away from sins...

Repentance isn’t emphasized enough today…

Blotting Out

Typically this term in Greek means to simply wipe out or erase. But in some cases it means to remove, destroy or obliterate. This is the usage here.

Times of Refreshing

The term in Greek here is much like a cool breeze that brings refreshing...

This has a dual meaning. Refreshing now…who can comment about times of refreshing since they trusted Jesus?

It is also referring to the final time, when Christ returns and brings a final end to sin and suffering.

“...Jesus, 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. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.”

This quote from Moses is from Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19.

Peter shows that the greatest prophet in Israel’s history even spoke of the Messiah and commanded the people to listen to him.

Moses is not saying the Messiah would be like him in character or ability, but that they were both raised up by God.

Verse 23 paints a picture that many people don’t like to think of when it comes to the Lord; that is the judge who executes judgment.

“You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of your from your wickedness.”

To Peter, this is the only reasonable response to Jesus, since Moses and all the other prophets pointed to the coming Messiah.

In verse 25, Peter probably didn’t fully grasp what he was saying about the “families of the earth being blessed.” For Peter, he was probably at this point thinking of the Jews throughout the known world. But we will soon see that it extended even further than Peter knew, to even the Gentiles!

They held an honored position and as such should respond to the grace of God.

Notice that throughout this passage the emphasis is on national salvation, not simply individual salvation. Why?

Because God still loves his chosen people, and wanted them to receive the glorified Lord Jesus as Messiah.

So What?

Four truths that we find in Peter’s sermon that are foundational to the church for all times, in all locations, regardless of the specific mission of the church:

Foundational Truth #1: We point people to Jesus.

Foundational Truth #2: We tell people about their greatest need: that their sins need to be forgiven.

Foundational Truth #3: We teach people about the Resurrected Savior.

Christianity is a unique religion when it comes to world religions for many reasons. But, the most important of these reasons is because the One we worship, Jesus, is risen and alive!

Soon we will enter into the Easter season, and we will do something that I’ve experienced in every evangelical church: He is Risen...

That’s a fun tradition, but behind it is the most vital of teachings within the Christian faith. Our Lord, Jesus the Christ, was dead but is now alive!

1 Corinthians 15:12–20 ESV

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Hebrews 7:25 ESV

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 10:12–14 ESV

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

The Resurrection of Jesus is the most incredible of all the miracles in the Bible. And because of that, it’s also the most well attested of all the miracles in the Bible.

Throughout the NT we see confirmation after confirmation of the truth of the Resurrection of Christ.

And here, Peter gives an important one: we here witnessed it ourselves!

In fact, all the disciples, except maybe John, would eventually be killed because of their testimony about the Risen Jesus. It defies reason that people would die a martyrs death for something they knew to be a lie.

So, we as Jesus church teach and preach the Resurrected Savior. We sing songs about the Resurrected Savior. We pray because we know we can appeal to a Living Savior, not a dead religious philosopher.

And we should never shy away from it, because if there is no Resurrection of Jesus, then there is no hope for us!

Foundational Truth #4: We proclaim the truth that God is restoring all things, as He promised.

Verses 19-21 are some of the most beloved in this section.

Acts 3:19–21 ESV

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 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.

We’ve looked at the need for repentance, but I don’t want to miss this next important verse that Peter mentions: “...until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.”

Peter believed that God has a purpose in history. That all of this is leading somewhere. Mankind is not a happy accident, but we have a God and He has a greater purpose that all things are leading to.

A major part of that purpose is the coming of Christ and the opportunity for people to repent and have their sins blotted out. Not because of the repentance itself, but because Christ Jesus has fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law and had become the sinless sacrifice for God’s people.

But we know that it doesn’t end there. God is moving history in a direction that there will be a final culmination of God’s plans where He will make all things new.

Revelation 21:1–7 ESV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

What started with Fallen humans lead to the death, burial and resurrection of the Savior and will one day culminate to all things being made new and mankind, finally, being able to fellowship with God unencumbered by sin.

This we must believe. And this we must teach others to believe. It is foundational.