Repent or Reject?

Acts 3:11-26

Acts chapter 3 breaks neatly into 2 parts.  The Miracle (last week) – Peter and John heal a cripple.  and the Message (This week) Peter uses the opportunity to preach the gospel.  Same thing He did at Pentecost.  The text tells us that this guy was crippled from birth.  Think of his childhood. (watching others climb trees, build forts, play ball) He had none of that.  He was crippled from birth.  This wasn’t America where some people could get by without their legs.  Wheelchairs did not exist.  He had never walked before.  This was an entire LIFE of suffering.  Likely this also meant that he would never get married, because he could not provide for a family with a job.  He couldn’t travel. He had likely spent all his life within a quarter mile of that gate. He had no future, no dreams, no hope. He was all but guaranteed a life of poverty, suffering, and then death. This is the man that Peter and John were seeing as they passed by.  This was a man who had dealt with incredible hardship, and was now throwing himself on the mercy of God’s chosen people to hopefully survive another day.

Your heart should break for this man.  Peter’s and John’s did.  But they didn’t stop there.  They acted through the power of the Holy Spirit to heal this man.  Our story picks up shortly after that miraculous healing.

Acts 3:11-26

In our passage this morning we are going to see several claims about Jesus and several claims about ourselves.  We are going to go through it all as they did, and we are going to be left with a decision.  Repent, or Reject? That question should be rolling around in your mind all morning.  On every point.  Repent, or Reject?

Sin Brings Suffering

• • A man is healed, but several questions arise.  Why was he crippled in the first place?  Who healed him? Why was he healed? What does this mean? Those are the kind of questions that ensue. So, it is for you and me. And some would say that we don’t need teaching, we need simply experience; we don’t need an education about God, we need an experience of God.  But without preaching and teaching, experience is often misinterpreted.
  • We need biblical teaching to properly understand our experiences
    • Consider suffering for example
      • Is God punishing me? Am I unlucky?  Is this karmic debt from my past life that I deserve?  NO. This is why we cannot live by experience and feelings alone.  So it is with Peter and John.  
        • They thought that Peter was responsible for the healing.  But He gets up and says, no that was God.
  • So let’s have some biblical teaching to understand our circumstances of suffering.  TO help us understand what is really going on.
  • We bring it upon ourselves, we bring it upon others, others bring it upon us.

• Physical Suffering, Emotional Suffering, Financial Suffering, 

• Spiritual Suffering (most serious one)

• • • • Wrath of God poured out against sin. (all are separated from their creator, All have rebelled against God.)
  • Theology of Suffering (6 Truths)

• God did not create suffering.  We did.  It didn’t start this way (Genesis)

• • • • “It was very Good”
      • THIS IS NOT THE WAY THIS  WORLD IS SUPPOSED TO BE!  When sin came into the world, death came with it, and sin tainted EVERYTHING. All Creation has been warped by sin.

• Sometimes our sins cause us to suffer

• • • • Romans 1 – When we sin willfully, it sears our conscience, and God gives us over to the result of our own depravity
      • Psalm 107:17 – Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction

• Sometimes other’s sins cause us to suffer. 

• • • • Individual
        • Anger, Greed, Lust, Envy, Produces sin that has ripple effects on everyone around you.
      • Corporate
        • Corrupt governments, evil laws cause a massive societal level of suffering.  Roe Vs Wade – a million babies per year

• Sometimes suffering is the result of living in a broken world.

• • • • Examples of The paralytic man Jesus Healed “who sinned? This man or his parents?”  – Neither

• God always uses suffering in the world for His purposes 

• • • • Most notable example is Jesus – God uses evil acts by evil people to accomplish His plan of sending Jesus to die for sins

• God will one day put an end to all suffering

• • • It won’t end this way (revelation)
    • Revelation 21:4 –  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.”  
      • He will make it all new again. 

Repent or Reject?

• Peter is preaching this to a bunch of murderers.  And he calls them out!  How many of you, if you were addressing a group of murderers, would talk about something other than their murder?  Not Peter.  He gets up and makes several Claims about the person they murdered, and several  Indictments against them
• Let’s take a look at the claims regarding Christ
  • Vs 14 – Jesus is The Holy and Righteous One
    • Not one of many, But the only one (Culture: Buddha, Gandhi, Jesus)  
  • Vs 15 – Jesus is the Author of Life
    • He authored it all, He brought life, But the story of mankind is that we instead chose death. Even in His incarnation, he came so that we might have life.  And We killed Him for it. 
  • Vs 16 – Jesus is the Great Physician
    • For the Christian, God ALWAYS PROVIDES HEALING
      • Read Vs 12
        • In this life, or the one to come, it always happens.
        • We need not be surprised that God did something incredible.  God is in the business of doing incredible things. 
  • Vs 17 – Jesus is the Fulfillment of Prophecy
    • Isaiah – Suffering Servant
    • Moses – A greater prophet who the people will listen to
    • Abraham – The promised seed
  • Vs 19 – Jesus is the Forgiver of sins 
    • Repent.  
      • Vs 13a – You handed over Jesus
      • Vs 13b – You are worse than Pilate
      • Vs 14 – You traded the holy and righteous one for a murderer
      • Vs 15 – You killed the one who gave you life
      • Vs 17 – You are ignorant
      • Vs 18-25 – You don’t understand the Bible
      • Vs 26 – You are absolutely wicked and deserving of wrath.
    • Repent There is the call.  Here is the verse on which peter’s entire sermon is hinging on.  This verse is the crux of his call.  The essence of His message.  REPENT. Turn back to Christ, so your sins may be blotted out.  
      • EVERY PERSON IN THIS ROOM MUST KNOW THIS! – Jesus is your only hope
• Apply
  • Your indictments may not be identical, but they are similar.  (provide a list) (prideful, Self righteous, liar, blasphemer, adulterer, thief, idolater, Guilty)
  • Choose this day whom you will follow.  Repent or Reject (There are only two options…)
    • The Israelites denied, and rejected Christ.  
      • They delivered him over to be crucified.  Pilate tried to set him free, The Israelites forced him to the cross, instead letting a murderer go free. 
    • Ignorance is no excuse (vs 17)
    • What will you do? (excuses)
• Excuses people give
  • But I am too sinful
    • 1st Timothy 1:15b – Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners
      • Good news, you meet the prerequisite for salvation.  Jesus didn’t come for the sinless, there aren’t any.  He came for sinners. He came for you!
  • But I have to clean myself up first
    • Isaiah 64:6a – We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
      • My Children on my birthday
      • God is offering you a gift.  If you try to pay Him back for it, it is no longer a gift.  Don’t be like that.
  • I’ll do better moving forward
    • You cannot erase your past, only Christ can.  You cannot atone for your sins, only Christ can.  You can’t be holy, you can’t be righteous, it is already too late. Even if you never sin again, you wouldn’t make the cut. 
      • And if you believe that you will never sin again, it would be unfathomably proud.  Which is the worst sin of all. So there you are.  
        • Better to trust in Christ’s righteousness instead.  

Be a Courageous Witness (Conclusion)

• Courageous
  • Peter was talking to a bunch of murderers giving them the same choice “repent or reject ” knowing that if they rejected the message, they very well may murder him also.  That takes some serious courage
    • Oh I cant witness because I might lose my friendship, I can’t witness because they might not like me anymore, I can’t share Jesus because people will think I am weird.  I can’t get baptized because I don’t want to be seen.
      • Being a witness takes courage.  Being a real Christian takes courage.  It is not for the faint of heart.  It is for those whose hearts have been consumed with Christ.  
• Witness
  • Everything we do should be in the name of Jesus.  We are representatives.  Can you imagine if you put that phrase after every one of your actions?  
    • Bad – I am looking at that website in the name of Jesus.  I am cutting that person off in the name of Jesus.  I am screaming at my spouse in the name of Jesus.
    • Good – I am feeding the poor in the name of Jesus, I am visiting the sick in the name of Jesus, I am loving the unlovable in the name of Jesus.
  • Most importantly pray.  Petition your God on their behalf.  Keep in mind that the crippled man was healed in the name of Jesus of Nazareth