Chapter Three –
Healing the Lame Man – 2nd Gospel Sermon
ACTS 3:12-19:
In our last lesson, we covered the miraculous healing of the lame man.
This miracle was performed on someone that everyone knew; this would
cause great wonder, and stop the detractors from having any traction
against the Apostles of Jesus. As all the people have come together
around Peter and John in the Portico of Solomon; this miracle has also
created an opportunity.
The same God, Whose power, has been demonstrated in this miracle, the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has also
“glorified His Servant Jesus”!
Text #1:
Acts 3:12-18
“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?
13
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.
14
But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be
granted to you,
15
and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which
we are witnesses.
16
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.
17
“Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as
did also your rulers.
18
But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets,
that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.”
First:
Before we get into the commentary of this second Gospel sermon, let’s
look at the correlation to the first sermon side by side!
First Sermon
Title
– Jesus of Nazareth
-
1. Approved by God.
-
2. You Killed Him.
-
3. God Raised Him Up.
-
4. Both Lord and Christ
-
Second Sermon
Title
– His Servant Jesus
-
1. Glorified by God.
-
2. You Killed Him.
-
3. God Raised Him from the Dead.
-
4. Fulfilled All Things Spoken by the Prophets.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob:
It was important to show it was the same God that glorified Jesus as
acknowledged by their fathers. God had raised from the dead, His Servant
Jesus; or more properly His Child Jesus (from the Greek, ‘Pais’,
which signifies a child in relation to descent, or attendance towards
service). These facts that Peter states are fairly self-evident and needed
no proof, except concerning the resurrection (which we will cover in a
moment).
This glorification has taken place by the authority of the miracle performed
on the lame man in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, which has caused the
wonder bringing the multitudes together.
Pilate:
Remember, Pilate found Jesus innocent, but was weak and gave into the Jews.
Peter shows the Jews in the audience the seriousness of their crime when
they were not interested in justice, but rather would have had a murderer
released to them.
Prince of Life:
Here the term Prince does not express the proper understanding being
revealed by Peter. Here it means the
“Author” or “Originator” of
life. The startling truth being revealed by Peter is that they have taken
away the life of the “Originator of
Life”.
See also:
John 1:3-5;
Colossians 1:15-16.
We also know through the teaching of the truth of the Gospel, that this was
an essential occurrence in order for Him to once again give life! Spiritual
life!
Romans 5:18-21;
1 Corinthians 15:20-23;
Colossians 1:18.
Faith:
Peter states that the name of Jesus was the power behind the miracle that
has brought them all together. In addition, he denotes that it was faith in
His name. Now we know that the lame man had no knowledge of Jesus prior to
the performing of the miracle. We also know that afterwards this man gave
credit to God (Vs.
9).
The faith that Peter is referring to in this instance was his own faith in
the power of the name of Jesus.
No one could have performed this kind of supernatural act without this power
given to him by God. Peter identifies for the audience that the power of God
in this miracle is given in the name of the glorified Son of God.
In the past, the Lord rebuked His chosen for not having faith to accomplish
the purposes of God (see:
Matthew 14:31;
17:14-20),
but now we see the full ability of the Apostles of Christ by true faith in
His name!
Ignorance:
So much evidence was present to the Jews before they killed Jesus; however,
even with all the evidence they ignorantly refused to see Him as the Messiah
(Christ). This ignorance was no excuse for their actions, which is why the
next passage is so important.
Text #2:
Acts 3:19
“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”
Repent:
Peter places the blame for the
“Originator of Life” squarely on these Jews in attendance here. He
additionally points out that this was the will of God to fulfill the
prophecies concerning the “Christ”
(“Christ” is the Greek
equivalent of the Hebrew, “Messiah”;
both meaning the “Anointed One”).
Repentance is a change of mind, and will. In this, Peter states that they
therefore (because of their original rejection of Jesus as the Christ),
needed to repent and now have faith that He was truly the Christ!
Converted:
This term denotes a change of conduct, or path walked; however a change of
conduct always has a beginning, and a person is properly said to turn or
convert when they do the first acts of the better way! Now it so happens
that this first act was uniformly enjoined upon the penitent believer as the
first act of obedience to Christ; that is, to be baptized (Acts
2:38).
This is the universal first act of faith in obedience that has been
instructed to all since Pentecost to this day, and they had probably been
witness to it as well.
When they heard the command to “Repent
and be converted”, they could but understand that they were to turn by
being baptized, thus entering into a new and better life. Baptism is the
first turning act!
This term occupies the same place as baptism in the first discourse, which
is between repentance and remission of sins.
“Converted” or to
“Turn” is active not passive,
that is, one does the turning; God does not turn us, except through the
information necessary to make the choice.
As the Apostle Paul would state to king Herod, that he was obedient to his
heavenly calling to command that eyes were to be opened and turning was
expected by those who could see (Acts
26:17-18).
Note these words concerning his Apostolic charge:
Acts 26:19-20
“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
20
but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all
the region of Judea, and
then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to
God, and do works befitting repentance.”
Times of Refreshing:
This occupies the same place as the
“Gift of the Holy Spirit” in Peter’s first discourse. It is a reference
to the refreshing of the soul as in the deliverance from sin, or evil, and
the refreshing that comes from deliverance (here from the burden of sin),
and the maintenance of that state.