That Christ Should Suffer
This Way: Missions in Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering. And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Introduction
Introduction
The message of the Gospel is centered on the suffering of Jesus for sin. We see in our passage this morning that Peter preaches another sermon to those gathered at Solomon’s porch. There ought to be a constant witness by believers to the saving power of Jesus.
The mission of the church is the same mission given to the Eleven during the forty days that Jesus was on earth after His Resurrection. Jesus commissions them to take the good news of the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus for all mankind to each and every person. We see throughout the book of Acts that those Eleven, and the others who were part of the church at Jerusalem, went everywhere preaching this gospel. In our series on missions in Acts, we will study several of these chapters to learn about missions in the local church.
Do you give to support missions? Do you have a heart for those here in Virginia, the United States, and the world that have not accepted the free gift of salvation? Evangelism comes from a heart that has been changed by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross for sin. Missions comes from that same heart that has caught the command that Jesus has given us, His church.
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Together, we need to ask God to gives us, as a church, a desire to send and support those who are going to the lost people around the world just as we go to those here in Virginia. This is the focus of our series on “This Way” in the book of Acts.
God is the doer of salvation. He is the sender of Jesus to earth to die for sin. He is the Just Judge who declared mankind guilty. He is the Gracious Judge who has taken the payment of Jesus in exchange for the sin of mankind. This is the message of the Gospel.
Too often, we allow the Gospel to be defined as something else in our daily lives.
There are those who would emphasize action on behalf of the poor. They have called this the Social Gospel. Jesus was kind to the poor and He cared about those that were hurting. Yet, that is not the reason that Jesus came.
There are those who would emphasize appearance and conformity. They want everyone to look the same or live the way that they expect. Some go so far as to make the life of a religious person to be about being “made righteous”. Yet, the Bible is clear that those who are in Christ are “declared righteous” or “justified”.
“Good” actions and philanthropy will not save us. Church attendance will not save us. Outward conformity to a standard will not save us. Only the suffering of Jesus will save those who believe.
This is the message of Peter in Solomon’ Porch. He has a different emphasis and different Old Testament allusions in this sermon. However, the application is still the same: Repent and be saved. Wherever we are, we must be a witness to the saving power of Jesus. This is the job of the missionary in a foreign land. This is the charge of the believer in our county today. How are you doing giving out the Gospel?
Declaration
Declaration
The faith of the lame man in Jesus brought healing. God offers salvation through Jesus Christ to every person. Today, we must respond to the Gospel and use every opportunity to give the Gospel. Five actions of God are seen in this passage.
1. God Prepares Hearts
1. God Prepares Hearts
And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
The first action of God is seen in verse 11. God prepares hearts to hear the Gospel. This is a truth that we can see throughout the Bible but especially in the Upper Room with Jesus. The Holy Spirit would come for this very purpose.
The Holy Spirit worked in the life of John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus to come and offer salvation. He prepared him as a “messenger” just as God has used the prophets to foretell. Here, we see that the miracle of verses 1-10 has brought a crowd to see the miracle that has taken place by the power of God.
Let’s look back at these previous verses 1-10.
The church is gathered in the porch built by Herod on the east side of the Temple. This was the same place that Jesus had taught in during John 10. There, He had pointed to who He was. The power of God is about to do the same.
And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
The lame man is now seen holding Peter and John in the porch. I picture him holding onto their arms in happiness and thankfulness. Instead of needing others to help him to stand up, he is holding them through the power of God to heal. This would have been an amazing sight.
The people have now gathered with questions in their hearts. Peter sees an occasion of a miracle for a gospel sermon. All of the people have now flocked to the porch to see what has happened to this lame man.
God has prepared hearts to receive the Gospel. Today, He is doing the same. Are we looking for them and reaching them?
2. God Convicts Hearts
2. God Convicts Hearts
And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
The second action of God is the conviction of hearts. Here, God uses Peter’s preaching to bring the good news to these assembled people. He perceives the questions in the hearts of those lost people and prepares to answer them.
God is in the business of convicting hearts. Souls are in jeopardy because they are filled with sin. The Holy Spirit not only prepares hearts but He also convicts them of sin. We saw that at Pentecost, the people were “pricked” in their heart. The Holy Spirit will rebuke the world of sin. The sin of the world is more clear because of their rejection of Jesus’ salvation.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me;
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
What can we do today? God convicts hearts. We preach the Gospel. This is what Peter is about to do.
We have one business on earth—to save souls.
John Wesley
3. God Establishes Salvation
3. God Establishes Salvation
The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
The third action of God toward sinful men is to establish salvation. Peter sees the need and takes the lead. Questions must be answered and those who are lost in the world must be given the Gospel. We see here an instant movement of attention to the saving work of Jesus. So ought we to seek in our conversations when we are able. It is not in our power to change either physical or spiritual conditions. Only Jesus can.
Peter begins by giving an outline of the events that have taken place. God glorified Jesus. He was turned over to the authorities. When He would have been released, He was rejected. Instead, substitution occurred when Barrabbas was released. Jesus was crucified. God raised Him from the dead. The disciples saw and were able to verify the truth that He is alive. God established salvation.
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
The Gospel has been established for the salvation of the world by God Himself. The death of Jesus removes the penalty of sin and offers forgiveness. In verse 13, Peter uses the prophecy of Isaiah to show the substitution of Jesus in His Death for sin. The word translated “Son” could give the sense of Jesus as God’s Son. We know that Jesus is God. Also, this word could give the sense of a Servant or slave. The description of Jesus’ sacrifice here is an illusion to the Great Servant Song in Is 52-53.
Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; For he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, And he shall divide the spoil with the strong; Because he hath poured out his soul unto death: And he was numbered with the transgressors; And he bare the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
The faith of the man in the name of Jesus brought the healing of his physical and spiritual infirmities. This is not the same today. This was a miracle that God did in the book of Acts to point to the truth of the message. Yet, the spiritual healing is still offered for our sin. Jesus’s death is the substitutionary atonement or reconciliation in our place for our sin.
Barrabas was a man who deserved death. We know that, according the Gospel accounts, he led a rebellion against Rome. He was directly responsible for the death of at least one person. Yet, Jesus died in His place.
We too have lived in rebellion against God since the Garden of Eden. We also are the responsible for the death of Jesus, God’s Son. Yet, Jesus died in our place.
When the gavel fell to declare our guilt, the hand of Jesus went up to allow us to be declared righteous by His death.
Jesus is the Prince of life. He is not only the Suffering Servant but the originator of the way of salvation for us. We can have salvation and entrance into the throne room of God through prayer through Him.
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Because of the healing of the man, he is now completely healthy. There is a clear connection between faith for physical health and repentance for spiritual health. God does not ask us to do good to outweigh our bad. He does not ask us to keep the Law without fail. He asks us to believe. Jesus told Jairus, whose daughter had just been pronounced dead, to believe.
As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.
Do you believe? You may know that Jesus died for your sins. But do you believe? This is the job of the Christian to call for a decision to believe in the person that they give the Gospel to.
4. God Requires Repentance
4. God Requires Repentance
And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
In verses 17-21, we see another action of God to require repentance. The application of the Gospel is simple and direct: “Repent and be converted”. Choose to change your eternal destination. Too many people want to live in the world and hope for heaven. The Bible calls for repentance. Will your change your mind today? Those who would come to Jesus for forgiveness of sins must come now when their hearts are prepared and the conviction of the Holy Spirit is present. One day it will be eternally too late.
Though after this life repentance be perpetual, it is in vain.
Saint Augustine of Hippo
This repentance is to be the attitude of the believer and the direction of his life as well. Do we live in a state of continual yielding to the speaking of the Holy Spirit? Do you listen when the Bible speaks to you?
Peter gives us the application for the preaching of the Gospel in verses 17-21. All of the prophets had pointed to this moment. Preaching against sin is now brought together into the salvation offered by Jesus.
Peter promises there is a chain reaction of repentance.
The sins of that person who repents are “blotted out.” The sin will no longer be seen but the marks on the lists of God are now completely washed away. This is a word that speaks of something written that is no longer there.
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
There will be a time of refreshing. This is the coming day of the Millennial Kingdom. God will establish peace and prosperity on earth.
God will send Jesus who was preached. Jesus will return one day. He is the same that came and died.
Jesus is coming again when all is ready to be restored! In the Greek, this word is associated with the stages of astronomy, medicine and the phoenix. In essence, we are talking about getting back to the beginning of something. The creation was perfect before sin entered the world. This is the future state that Jesus will establish for those who have accepted salvation. Jesus is called the “Prince of life” and was the originator of that new life that is found in believing in Him. God is now seeking to make the spiritual new creation a physical reality in this future time.
Where is the repentance of the world? The prophets preached for years for repentance but the people walked farther and farther into sin. God requires repentance. Call those who are lost to turn from their sin to Jesus.
5. God Speaks Specifically
5. God Speaks Specifically
For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Finally, God asks to speak specifically to those who are gathered to listen. In Acts 2, Peter used David as his Old Testament authority. Here, Moses is the authority referenced in the OT instead of David.
Moses had prophesied that a Prophet would come. We see this in Deuteronomy 18. The Prophet would point the people toward what to do. So does Jesus today!
The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
God requires the righteousness of Jesus for sins. Do you have that righteousness? Do you have only your righteousness? Isaiah tells us what the righteousness of man is worth.
But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
God is speaking to the Jewish people here in particular to repent. But the blessing of Abraham is to the entire world. That includes you and me. God told Abraham,
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
God sent Jesus to the world to save those who would receive Him. The missionary is an heir of the Abrahamic Covenant that offers the blessing of salvation to all nations. So ought we to do daily in our county as well.
God speaks specifically to those who will listen to Him. He has established salvation. Will you take it? Peter’s sermon is not just for that day but it stands true to this day as well. What is your faith in today?
Conclusion
Conclusion
The faith of the lame man in Jesus brought healing. God offers salvation through Jesus Christ to every person. Today, we must respond to the Gospel and use every opportunity to give the Gospel.
The outcome of the preaching of Peter on this occasion was 5000 people saved as seen in the beginning of chapter 4. God can do that today because it is not we that manufacture it but He that brings it about. God is the greatest evangelist. He has established salvation and He calls for repentance. Peter was a willing servant to preach for Him.
Believer, are you clear on what the Gospel is? The Gospel is not doing certain things. The Gospel is believing in what Jesus has done for mankind. If we are not clear on the Gospel, we will not be as effective in spreading it. Will you have a missionary heart today?
Unbeliever, the Gospel is clear. Jesus died for you. He was raised again. Salvation is for you today. Will you repent and believe? God has done much to establish salvation for you. Will you listen as He speaks specifically to you?
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
