WWUTT 1038 Peter and John Preach a Sermon?

A man was lame in his feet, and Peter and John healed him.

The people came to see this miracle that had been performed, and Peter preached a sermon that those who were lame in soul could be healed when we understand the text.

This is when we understand the text studying God's word to reach all the riches of full assurance in Christ.

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Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe Hughes. Thank you, Becky. We come back to our study of the book of Acts chapter 3.

Yesterday we saw Peter and John perform a miracle healing the lame man at the beautiful gate of Jerusalem.

Today we're gonna hear Peter's sermon to the crowd that was attracted by this miraculous site.

Let's take a look at verse 11, while the previously lame man clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called

Solomon's. And when Peter saw it, he addressed the people, men of Israel, why do you wonder at this?

Or why do you stare at us as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?

The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers glorified his servant

Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate when he had decided to release him.

But you denied the holy and righteous one and asked for a murderer to be granted to you.

And you killed the author of life whom God raised from the dead.

To this we are witnesses. And his name, by faith in his name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know.

And the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

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

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. 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 proclaim these days,

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 you from your wickedness.

Amen. What a great sermon. All right. So if we come back to verse 11 here, the man who had previously been lame, who whom

Peter and John had healed, he is clinging to Peter and John. Of course, he's got new friends now.

Everybody else was just passing me by. At best, I would get somebody to kind of barely make eye contact with me and give me alms, silver or gold or maybe some food to eat or something like that was the best that this guy could do.

But Peter and John gave him something even greater and said in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.

And so the man did that very moment. So he's clinging to Peter and John with great joy.

And all the people utterly astounded ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's. Now he had attracted everybody's attention because after being healed, he got up and left.

So the guy is dancing around in what is supposed to be a solemn moment, an hour of prayer there in the temple.

And he's dancing and carrying on because the Lord God has healed him of his lameness.

Verse 12, when Peter saw it, when Peter saw the crowd coming to him wondering what was going on, he addressed the people.

So remember yesterday I mentioned if you have opportunity to show charity to somebody, use that as an open door to share the gospel with them, preaching the message of Christ and sharing the gospel.

I don't mean giving them healing because you can't do that or showing them charity.

Those things are effects of the gospel, the love that we have for people because Christ loved us.

But they're not the gospel itself. The gospel means that word gospel means good news.

So the gospel is news. It's something that must be proclaimed. It's something that must be announced. So you are sharing with them that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins.

And whoever believes in him will not perish under the judgment of God because all have sinned against God.

But by faith in Jesus, we will have everlasting life. And of course, that's the sermon that Peter is declaring here.

He's doing that very thing that was kind of my exhortation at the end of the message yesterday using this miracle that was performed to therefore preach the gospel.

And that's what you're going to see the pattern throughout the book of Acts is that some miracle will be done.

And that is to authenticate that the word that's being spoken is by the power of God.

The word itself is by the power of God, as well as this miracle that has been performed. So Peter addressing the people said, men of Israel, why do you wonder at this or why do you stare at us as though by our own power or piety, we have made him walk

Peter and John not using any attention on themselves. They're pointing the people right to Christ, the

God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers glorified his servant

Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate.

The very pagan ruler you hate is here in Jerusalem. The very guy that you are hoping a

Messiah is going to come and release you from. That's the guy whom you went to and appealed to and said, crucify him.

You want to be delivered from this guy. And instead you're going to him asking for favors. Pilate had decided to release him.

That's what Peter goes on to say in the presence of Pilate when he had decided to release him. Even the pagan guy knew

Jesus hadn't done anything wrong, and yet you insisted that Pilate put him to death.

Though Pilate found him to be innocent, you wanted to punish him. Verse 14, but you denied the holy and righteous one,

Jesus Christ, who had done nothing wrong, set apart from people, holy, meaning that only he was

God. To call someone holy and righteous one in this way is a divine title.

It is something that only belongs to God. Jesus Christ is God. That is what

Peter is acknowledging here in this sermon that he's preaching in Solomon's Portico.

He is saying that Jesus Christ is the holy and righteous one, the promised Messiah, God incarnate in the flesh, who came to die for our sins and rise again from the grave.

God has shown his worthiness that his favor was upon him by raising him from the dead.

So we go on here. You denied the holy and righteous one and asked for a murderer to be granted to you.

Of course, we're referring here to Barabbas. And according to Mark's gospel, Barabbas was not just a murderer.

He was also an insurrectionist. So he was in prison. He was actually a notorious criminal.

This was about like the worst criminal in Jerusalem at that time that Pilate could have released.

He literally picked the worst guy that he had locked up, thinking there's no way the people are going to release

Barabbas there. Jesus hasn't even done anything wrong. Barabbas has a record longer than my arm.

So I'm going to say, well, I tell you what, I'll give you the choice between Jesus and Barabbas. But the people chose

Barabbas. Give us Barabbas. Crucify Jesus. That's what it is that the people said.

So they chose the murderer. They asked that the murderer be granted to them.

And look at what Peter says in verse 15, just brilliant to the sermon. And you killed the author of life.

You asked for a murderer. You killed the author of life. And this is also a statement proclaiming that Christ was there at the beginning of creation.

When God created all things, whom, of course, now, of course, we know that Jesus created all things.

John one, one, all things were created through him in the beginning was the word. The word was with God and the word was

God. And all things were made through him. Nothing was made that that has not been made, except that which was made by Christ.

The apostle Paul talks about this in Colossians chapter one, and it's mentioned in Hebrews one as well. So Jesus is the creator of all things, and he is also the redeemer of all things, all things being reconciled to God through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

And so he being the author of life who created it and who is redeeming it, whom

God raised from the dead, showing that he is the author of life when not even death could hold him down.

Shows that Christ himself had the power over death. Therefore, he is the giver of life.

He is the one who has life in his hands. God raised him from the dead. And to this we are witnesses,

Peter said. We saw this. We can testify. You put him to death. You asked for the murderer.

You hung Jesus on the cross. You buried him in a tomb. And generally speaking, it was

Joseph of Arimathea and those who were with him who prepared Jesus body, put him in the tomb. But God raised him from the dead.

And we are witnesses to this. There are hundreds of witnesses to the resurrection of Christ. And remember, this is just weeks from when

Christ was raised from the dead. It was just what, like a couple of months ago or something like that.

So verse 16 and his name by faith in his name has made this man strong whom you see and know.

And the faith that is through Jesus has given this man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Now, that's not necessarily saying that this man believed in Jesus and therefore he was healed because we understand that faith is something that is given to us by God.

We are not the author of our faith. Jesus is the author of our faith. Hebrews 12 to the author and the perfecter of our faith.

He gave us our faith and he is growing us in our faith. Faith is a gift from God.

It is given to us by God. We don't concentrate hard enough and then boom, we have faith.

It is something that God gives to us by his grace. Ephesians to eight for by grace, you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing.

It is the gift of God. We have nothing to do with the grace that is given to us, the salvation that is given to us or the faith that is given to us.

Faith is not our work, folks, and you will not find that anywhere in the scriptures. Faith is granted by God.

Even repentance is granted by God. Second, Timothy to twenty five. God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth.

We're going to see that come up twice in the book of Acts as well. Referring once to Israel, God having granted them repentance and referring another time to the

Gentiles, God granting them repentance. Even repentance is a gift from God.

So by saying that this man was healed by faith, that doesn't mean that he believed in the name of Jesus and was therefore healed.

But rather, the faith that God gave that Peter and John certainly had and that this man now has, because it was granted to him by God to receive not only healing in his body, but healing in his soul.

If you can remember back to, you know, this would have been about a year ago now. But our study in the book of John, chapter five, where you had the lame man at the pool of Bethesda and Jesus healed him, told him to get up, take up his mat and walk.

And he did in obedience to the command of Christ. He got up and walked and he was healed.

The man had no idea who Jesus was. So we did not have faith in him since he didn't know who he was, but it was granted to him by God to be healed.

So all of this to say that healing is not granted by faith because you believed hard enough.

And so therefore you received your healing, even though there's going to be many charismatics and and Pentecostals and faith healers out there who are going to tell you that that's how you receive your healing.

And the reason why you're not healed is because you didn't believe hard enough. This is a very, very common lie, and we must be aware of it.

These charlatans that exist out there to try to get either attention, fame from you or money promising things that scripture does not promise that are contrary to what the word of God says.

Once again, verse 16, it's by the name of Jesus, by faith in his name. It has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given this man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Notice that the faith is in Jesus, not the faith in myself to be healed.

It's faith in Christ. And God has done this miracle in him because it was the will of God to do so.

Verse 17. And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

Peter would later write in his first epistle for first. Yeah, first to Peter was what

I was about to say there. First, Peter one fourteen as obedient children do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.

And the apostle Paul, in his testimony, also talked about how he was formerly ignorant. And yet God saved him.

Acts 1730, when we get to the sermon at Mars Hill or at the Areopagus, Paul says the times of ignorance got overlooked.

But now he commands all people everywhere to repent. And there he's preaching to Gentiles. Peter is preaching here to the

Jews who should have known better. And yet, by the grace of God, they it's being said of them that they acted in ignorance.

And God is granting them that opportunity to repent of their sin and believe in Jesus through this gospel sermon that's being preached.

You acted in ignorance. So did your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets that his

Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent, therefore, and turn back.

That's what repentance means. It means to turn around, stop going in the direction that you're going, which is going to lead to your destruction.

Instead, turn around. And follow Christ, repent and believe means that you're going to turn from something to something.

Repent, you're turning from something, your sin, your unbelief, your rebellion against God and believe means you're turning to something to Jesus Christ, who will forgive you of your sins and unite you with God, the father saved from his judgment.

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, it's in Romans three, verse twenty five, where the apostle

Paul says that the mercy of God was to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance, he had passed over former sins.

It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

So believe in Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things, all the things about which

God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. That was verse twenty one of Acts three, verse twenty two.

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.

That is in Deuteronomy, 18, 18. And you probably hear that referenced every once in a while. I've referenced it before.

But where Moses says a prophet is going to rise up from among you who is like me, listen to him.

How do we know that he was referring to Jesus there? How do we know he wasn't referring to somebody like Elijah or Elisha or Samuel or any of the other later prophets,

Isaiah? Why did it have to be Jesus? Well, because of what Peter says right here, showing that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of that promise, that it even come from Moses.

A greater prophet than Moses is here. You cannot be saved by your law.

You must be saved by faith in the gospel of Christ. Verse twenty three.

And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet Jesus shall be destroyed from all the people and all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel and those who came after him also proclaimed these days.

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.

Now, when it came to a promise like this to Abraham, the Jews thought that the way all the peoples on the earth would be blessed is by blessing

Israel. Those who bless Israel will be blessed. Those who curse Israel will be cursed. But no, the one through whom we are blessed is

Jesus Christ, the offspring of Abraham that all the families of the earth come to to receive the blessing of God is

Jesus. Jesus is descended from Abraham. And so Peter is pointing out here that this promise did not have to do with ethnic

Israel. It was pointing to Jesus Christ. So not only the Jews are going to come to believe in Jesus, but even the

Gentiles. Peter is is kind of offering some foreshadowing here. There's going to be people from outside your midst, the nations that are going to come to fellowship with God that are going to be

God's people. And not because they were born of Abraham, but because they were born again of Christ.

Verse twenty six, God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.

So the message of the gospel has come to you first. It's going to go to the Gentiles. There's going to be many from around the world who are going to come to believe in Jesus.

But it's being delivered to you first. Remember what Jesus said to his disciples when he sent them back to Jerusalem.

You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.

Right now, we're still in Jerusalem. That's what that's what Jesus commissioned his disciples with in Acts one eight.

And we're still there. The message of the gospel, at least as far as where we are here in Acts, has not yet gone out to the world.

But we're definitely going to go there fairly soon. What's going to happen after this is that Peter and John are going to be brought before the council and persecuted.

There is a miracle that was performed. There is a sermon that accompanies that miracle to show that this word comes from God.

That's what the miracle was to signify. And then there's going to be a persecution that's going to come because of the speaking of this word.

That's what we'll get into next week when we open up chapter four. In the meantime, let us understand the grace of God that has been shown to us in our

Lord Jesus Christ through the gospel. And the faith that we have comes not from ourselves.

It is the gift of God. Many others are meant to come into the family of God through the preaching of this word.

So we must share it with others that by faith in the gospel, they would turn from their sin and believe in Jesus Christ and live just as Peter preached for the people to do here in Solomon's portico.

Let's close with prayer. Our heavenly father, we thank you for the grace that you show us daily through the author of life.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, the holy and righteous one. And we are we are being made holy.

We who believe in him and follow him growing in righteousness day by day.

So give us a day in which we might have opportunity to exercise our faith against any obstacles or trials that come our way and share our faith with somebody else that they, too, may turn from their sin and live.

You are a good and gracious God. And may we exemplify that in our lives.

The good God whom we believe in and follow in the name of Jesus. We pray. Amen. You've been listening to when we understand the text of Pastor Gabe Hughes.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Gabe will be going through a New Testament study. Then on Thursday, we look at an

Old Testament book. On Friday, we take questions from the listeners and viewers. Tomorrow, we'll pick up on an

Old Testament study when we understand the text. Good.