Repentance & Refreshing - Acts 3:11-26
Repentance and Refreshing
Intro:
Last week we did a close-up view of this healing event where God restored a lame beggar to perfect health at the hands of the apostles. And one of the important scriptures that I glossed over was found in Acts 3:8 where it says, “And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.”
When it says this lame beggar began “leaping,” an interesting Greek word is employed there. It’s a rare word that is also found in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the OT in their day. That word for “leaping” points to Is 35:6 where the messiah is prophesied to come and bring times of refreshing. Rejoicing, singing, strengthening weak hands, making firm feeble knees, saying to those who have an anxious heart “be strong, fear not! Behold your God will come. He will come and save you. The eyes of the blind shall be opened, the deaf ear unstopped, the lame man leap like a deer (There it is) and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
This healing at the hands of the apostles served a purpose, as all the miracles of the old and New Testament do. The miracle itself was not the point, the miracle was the pointer. Its glory didn’t point to itself or even the hands of those who performed it.
The wonder and amazement that overcame the people when they witnessed this event was not meaningless or meant to puff of the apostles. It’s meaning was to indicate that the messiah, Jesus, had truly come. The same Jesus who performed miracles in this same place, continues his work even after his ascension into heaven. And that is the essence of Peter’s sermon that we will look at today in vs 11-26.
Acts 3:11-26 / Pray
What I find striking in this sermon is how heavy the emphasis is upon repentance. Peter essentially says, yes we all just witnessed this man’s healing, but let me remind you what else you all witnessed- The crucifixion of Jesus. “To this we are all witnesses” he says in vs 15. If you back it up and read in reverse the convicting words he says, “you killed the author of life, whom God raised from the dead. You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, You delivered over and denied him in the presence of Pilate (even after he decided to release him), but in spite of that he says in vs 13, The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, he, that is God, glorified him.
In short, YOU people have rejected God. Why are you standing there staring at me because this man now walks as if I did it by my own piety. It is not me that is a work powerfully here. God is at work and that can only be exciting for you if you realize you need to repent. This act will either be for your condemnation or your salvation. The choice is yours because, as it stands, you are not right with God.
Now, how different that is from much preaching in the church today. Even my own. God works powerfully and instead of saying, “isn’t this great! God is on our side.” The apostolic example is, “what are you getting excited about, you are in sin! And unless you repent you cannot expect to experience any of this yourself.” “repent and turn back that your sins might be blotted out” he says in vs 19. And what we find at the end of this passage in vs 26 is that the repentance itself is the chief blessing here.
No one would deny that God blessed the lame man by his walking, but that healing simply pointed to a deeper healing that God was doing among the people. That is the healing of the soul. Blotting out sins, turning every one of you from your wickedness.
So the danger here is that we might focus too much on the physical restoration and believe that it is the point and not a pointer. The pointer directs our hearts back to the true source of healing, which is not Peter or John. It points us to Christ. And for this group of people here that would have resonated with them deeply because they were awaiting a Christ, a messiah. Unfortunately Peter’s striking sermon is that instead of gladly welcoming the savior when he arrived, they murdered him.
Imagine you have been awaiting a big procedure that would save your life. Say your heart was failing and you were in need of a transplant. And as the big day was approaching you had everything lined up. Your bags were packed, your appointments were met and you called your dr office one last time before you left and as they said goodbye they reminded you to be careful driving on the way to the hospital that lot of people come rushing in for immediate care. You mostly ignored this warning as we often do, and then on the way to the procedure, someone cut you off and in your road rage you swerved at them and caused them to crash and die. After everything is settled you call the dr. office to reschedule the heart transplant because some guy was trying to get ahead of you. But come to find out that guy was the one scheduled to perform your heart transplant. You killed your physician in your spiritual rage.
That’s something of the effect this sermon would have had on these people. “I know you acted in ignorance as did your rulers, But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. And guess who helped fulfil that prophecy? You….
Now, something I would like to draw your attention to is the fact that Peter preaches so directly to these people, by saying YOU did this. YOU killed Jesus. But lets consider what Peter means... Does he literally mean you as individuals were there that day arguing with Pilate to have Jesus killed and a murderer set free? No I don’t think so. Its unlikely that every time Peter preaches this fire and brimstone sermon of repentance that he is preaching to that same crowd.
What Peter is doing is preaching from a place of repentance himself. He is always redirecting the gaze of his congregation, as it were, to Jesus whom he crucified in a real way.
Where was Peter when Jesus was on trial? He may not have been shouting crucify him, but saying he didn’t even know him and denying his friendship isn’t any better. And notice that he accuses his onlookers of denying Jesus too. And that’s why Peter can say YOU crucified him. Because sin doesn’t just affect you it affects everything and ultimately it all goes back to the cross. It was MY sin that hung him there, Peter would admit.
So our task of application is to examine ourselves and seek ways that we too might repent of rejecting the savior’s kingship and kingdom. What ways has God placed the kingdom of God in front of you and you rejected and denied that it was God at work among you? And while we do this we have to realize that our sins do not disqualify us from preaching this same message to others. Our repentance is the qualifier. Peter has repented of his ignorance and then calls the onlookers to do the same. He leads by example. Repentance happens first at the pulpit, then in the pew, then in the greater community. That is how the kingdom spreads.
Times of Refreshing- Now
And while repentance and spiritual reformation is the chief blessing here, we need to also recognize that where the soul goes, the body eventually follows- even if that means in the resurrection. But the general trajectory of King Jesus and his kingdom is toward rest and refreshment, not destruction and weariness. All who are weary are invited to come and find rest for their souls in Jesus. And that has already begun, not still awaiting.
Hear Peter’s call in vs 19-21 (Read)
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.
And what did we just say that this lame beggar leaping echoed of? The prophets. The Prophet Isaiah! Look down at vs 24:
“And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.”
What days? You should be asking. It’s the same days that we have been laboring to see as we begin Acts. It’s the “last days” according to the prophet Joel , the end of the old order and the beginning of the new where Isaiah prophecies a time of refreshing that comes from the presence of the Lord while Heaven receives him until this new kingdom of his is fully restored.
1 Cor 15 speaks of Christ putting all enemies under his foot, reconciling all things to himself and the last enemy to be destroyed is death. Then comes the end where we will put on immortality in the resurrection of the dead. But even now, the times of refreshing from the presence of God has come. This view might run up against some of your views on the last days, but take heart John the Baptist wonders similar things, is the kingdom really here? Has the messianic age blossomed? And frankly you can imagine why he might have doubts about this as he is imprisoned for his preaching and soon to be beheaded. And you might be looking around feeling the same way. Mason are you really going to tell me that the kingdom and times of refreshing are here? Have you watched the news…
Jesus says, you go tell John: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.
In short, it’s the same message as Peter- People it’s here! Don’t miss it. You crucified the messiah, but don’t be alarmed. He raised from the dead and used your murderous ploy to turn it in to salvation for the world! There is no better news!
What we cannot miss in these miraculous events is that they are meant to lead toward repentance, but then also repentance is to lead towards more glorious displays of God. Times of refreshing come from repentance.
The pattern of renewal isn’t that we are blessed in our sin, nor is it that we are left as guilt ridden sinners. In our repentance we are turned back to the Father in our relationship with him and when that happens what else could come of it than refreshment and restoration? Leaping like deer at the fact that our names are written in heaven. We are given a new identity as those healed by God. We were known as the lame beggars, but now we leaping and praising God. And even more we are given a mission to be witnesses to promote that vision of the kingdom. We go forth and preach this gospel of the kingdom that starts with repentance and leads to refreshment.
And every time we see God work miraculously, we remind people that this is a foreshadow of the culminated kingdom. And now that the people can see that Jesus has come, that he is our king that reigns from heaven above with wisdom and power and love, they must repent. And so the pattern goes on.