God’s Refreshing Saves You-Acts 3

Acts of the Apostles, Sermons

Video recording, Sun Oct 23, 2022. Click link: Bible Study Questions (Acts 3).

Times of refreshing comes from the Lord (Ac 3:19). To be refreshed, we need healing and preaching–which contain words (Jn 6:63), truth (Jn 8:31-32; 17:17), and the gospel (1 Cor 15:3-4)]. As the lame man was “completely healed” (Ac 3:16), all people need healing–whether we realize it or not. If not we remain “sick,” even if we are physically well, for “the mass of men live lives of quiet desperation” as a “restless wanderer” (Gen 4:14), striving for something, anything, but finding nothing worthwhile. You desperately seek for what you want, but don’t even know what you need. What do all people need to do [in response to the gospel (Ac 3:15; 2:23-24, 36)]? “Repent…and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Ac 3:19; 2:38). May God bless you with healing and times of refreshing that comes from God.

“Whoever confesses his sins … is already working with God. God indicts [rebukes] your sins; if you also indict them, you are joined with God. Man and sinner are, so to speak, two realities: ‘man’ – is what God has made; ‘sinner’ – is what man himself has made. Destroy what you have made [repent of sin], so that God may save what he has made … When you begin to abhor what you have made, it is then that your good works are beginning, since you are accusing yourself of your evil works. The beginning of good works is the confession [repentance] of evil works. You do the truth and come to the light.”—The Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Are you like this lame man?

  1. Crippled from birth (Ac 3:2); we are sinners from birth (Gen 8:21; Ps 51:5; Rom 3:23).
  2. A poor helpless beggar; we are spiritually bankrupt apart from God and helpless to get out of our sinful condition.
  3. Sat outside the temple; we are outside of the presence of God.
  4. Healed completely apart from anything he himself did or deserved (Eph 2:8-9).
  5. Healing was immediate (2 Cor 5:17).
  6. Immediately gave evidence of the power of God.

Growth and opposition. In Acts 3-7 the early church remained in Jerusalem for the 1st few years (2:1-8:3). It increased, alongside simultaneous growing opposition from the Jewish religious leaders. The church misinterpret the mandate to take the gospel to the world (Ac 1:8; Mt 28:18-20), believing that the Abrahamic covenant to be a blessing to the nations (Gen 12:3) and a light to the Gentiles (Isa 49:6) meant that God would bring the nations to them in Jerusalem rather than send them out to the nations. It took the persecution of Ac 8:1-3 to force them out and impel them to fulfill their mission destiny (Ac 1:8; Lk 24:47-48).

Conflict is the theme of Acts 3-5. 2 incidents (3:1-4:31; 5:12-42) of the power of the apostles to perform miracles brought them into conflict with the Jewish leaders, who fruitlessly attempted to stop them, which are separated by a serious internal problem of the church (4:32-5:11).

The outbreak of persecution (3:1-4:31). Acts 3-4 is a drama in 3 parts:

  1. The Mighty Work (3:1-10). The healing of a lame man, a congenital cripple.
  2. The Mighty Word (3:11-26). Peter preaches to the crowd, explaining the incident; he gives his temple sermon.
  3. The Mighty Ones (4:1-22). The council brings the apostles to trial. The arrest of Peter and John, who are bold, brave, courageous and ordinary (Ac 4:13).

The Mighty Work (3:1-10). Peter heals a lame man. A notable deed is done. It was an outstanding fulfillment of the messianic prophecy: “Then will the lame leap like a deer” (Isa 35:6). The miraculous healing of a lame man anchored the church in the power of the name of Jesus (Ac 3:6-7, 16) and led to Peter’s 2nd sermon (3:11-26) on the reality of Jesus’ true identity and the need for the people to repent (Ac 3:19). This is the pattern seen throughout the church’s mission in Acts.

The Mighty Word (3:11-26): Peter’s 2nd sermon, interpreting the sign, explains the incident at the temple. Just as the Pentecost event was the text for his 1st sermon, the healing of the cripple became the text for his 2nd. Both were mighty acts of the exalted Christ. Both were signs that proclaimed him Lord and Savior. Both aroused the crowd’s amazement.

  • Peter responds to their astonishment (3:11-12).
  • The true source of the power: God and Jesus (3:13-16). The crime of the cross. Peter ascribed all credit to Jesus. He first built a bridge with them by stating that he is a fellow Jew and that their God and his God is the same God of A, I and J (Ac 3:13). He declared with outspoken courage that they had disowned him [by killing him], but God had vindicated him [by raising him] (Ac 3:13-15). He directed the crowd’s attention away from both the healed cripple and the apostles themselves to the resurrected and exalted Christ. In his Christ-centeredness, he attributed to Jesus a cluster of significant titles:
    • “Jesus Christ of Nazareth” (Ac 3:6),
    • “his [God’s] servant Jesus” (Ac 3:13),
    • “the Holy and righteous One” (Ac 3:14),
    • “the author of life” (Ac 3:15),
    • “a prophet like [Moses]” (Ac 3:22).
  • Call for repentance (3:17-21). Restoration and refreshment. 4 successive blessings take place when you “repent … and turn to God” (Ac 3:19):
    1. Total forgiveness: “your sins may be wiped [blotted] out” (Ac 3:19b), as one might wipe a blackboard clean of chalk marks. It is an echo of Isa 43:25. What was said of you accusingly and condemningly is simply wiped out when we turn away and turn around in the opposite direction to Christ.
    2. Spiritual refreshment: “times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Ac 3:19c). The Gk word can mean rest, relief, respite or refreshment.
    3. Universal restoration [not be “cut off” (Ac 3:23)]: “he may send you the Messiah…even Jesus” (Ac 3:20). “Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets” (Ac 3:21). Acts can get a little dense and so the big things can be missed. The point here is that a time is coming when God will “restore all things” (Ac 3:21). Jesus calls this a “regeneration” (Mt 19:28), when nature will be liberated from its bondage to decay (Rom 8:19), and God will make a new heaven and earth (2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21:5). This final perfection awaits the return of Christ. And though that final day will be truly wonderful (1 Cor 2:9; Isa 64:4), it can be anticipated with “times of refreshing” (Ac 3:19) in the present.
      • Many ways the Bible puts a central truth with a wide variety of expressions:
        • God would “bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (Eph 1:10);
        • through Christ, God would “reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col 1:20);
        • God will make “a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells/reigns” (Rev 21:1; 2 Pet 3:13);
        • God will overcome every power which corrupts and destroys his good creation, so that “God may be all in all” (1 Cor 15:28);
        • the whole creation “will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God” (Rom 8:21).
      • The renewal of all things. The ultimate promise of Ac 3:21–that there will be a restoration of all things–is firmly rooted in the Jewish prophets. What has happened now is that the final restoration has already happened to Jesus himself: what God is going to do to the whole creation, he has done for Jesus by raising him from the dead. Jesus now remains “in heaven” in God’s sphere. When Jesus finally reappears, heaven and earth will come together as one. That will be the great renewal of all things. But…we don’t have to wait.
      • For when you turn away from the life you’ve led and turn back to God [be converted]–i.e. repent–then “times of refreshing” (Ac 3:19) comes from the very presence of God himself, a kind of advance anticipation of the full and final “refreshment” that will happen when God completes the work at last. Again and again, in worship, sacraments, Christian fellowship, prayer and Bible reading/study, we taste in advance just a little bit of the coming together of heaven and earth, the sense that this is what we were made for, the new world which we shall finally enjoy. It is availble, ready for anyone who seriously seeks it.
    4. Blessing from God (Ac 3:26). It’s sad and tragic when people refuse to change because they are satisfied and “happy” with their own life. Thus, they refuse the blessing from God; they refuse to repent.
  • The promises of Scripture/OT (3:22-26). The OT is a single great story which was constantly pointing forwards to something that God was going to do through Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, etc. This great Something was the restoration of all things, the time when everything would be put right at last. And now Peter says, it’s happened! It’s happened in Jesus! And you can be a part of it. So Peter concludes with prophecies from Moses, Samuel and Abraham to show again and again that all this has happened in direct fulfillment of what the prophets had said.
    1. Moses (Ac 3:22-23; Dt 18:15-16, 19), the greatest prophet of them all.
    2. Samuel (Ac 3:24), who anointed the 1st kings of Israel. The chief reference is perhaps to God’s promise to establish the kingdom of David (2 Sam 7:12) with Peter assuring his hearers that “you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers” (Ac 3:25a).
    3. Abraham (Ac 3:25b; Gen 12:3), though not formally thought of as a prophet was on one occasion designated as such (Gen 20:7). It was Abraham who received the 1st and perhaps greatest promise of all, which dominates the very structure of biblical thought (Gen 12:3; 17:4; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). This was a foundation promise of the OT. As for beneficiaries, “he sent him first to you to bless you” (Ac 3:26a), the physical descendents of Abraham (Rom 1:16; 2:9-10; 3:1-2). But Paul argues that the promised blessing is for all believers. What is the blessing? It is not forgiveness only, but righteousness (Ac 3:26b).

The Mighty Ones (4:1-22). The arrest of Peter and John. The leadership of the new Israel.

  • The arrest (4:1-4).
  • Before the Sanhedrin (4:5-12). Peter defends himself before the Sanhedrin. Proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
    • A hearing is called (4:5-7).
    • Peter’s defense (4:8-12).
  • No loyalty save to God (4:13-22). Peter and John are freed with a warning. Teaching the people in the name of Jesus.

 References:

  1. Wright, N.T. Acts for Everyone, Part 1. Chapters 1-12. 2008.
  2. Witherington III, Ben. The Acts of the Apostles. A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. 1998.
  3. Stott, John. The Message of Acts. 1990.
  4. Peterson, David G. The Acts of the Apostles. The Pillar NT commentary. 2009.
  5. Osborne, Grant. Acts. Verse by Verse. 2019.
  6. Marshall, I. Howard. Acts. Tyndale NT commentaries (TNTC). 1980.
  7. Barclay, William. The Acts of the Apostles. The Daily Study Bible Series. 1976. 
  8. Fernando, Ajith. The Message of Jesus in Action. 2010. 

Community life of Jewish Christianity (4:23-5:16).

  • The church prays for greater boldness (4:23-31).
    • The occasion: community prayer (4:23-24a).
    • Plea for boldness and power (4:24b-30).
    • God’s response to the prayer (4:31).
  • A spirit of giving cf. a spirit of greed (4:32-5:11),
    • Community life (4:32-37). Their impressive generosity.
    • Ananias and Saphira (5:1-11). Judgment in the church.
  • The apostles heal many and the church grows (5:12-16). Signs and wonders among the people. The awesome presence of God.

Prayer, Possessions, Persecution and Proclamation (4:23-8:3).

  1. Prayer and power (4:23-31). The disciples pray for further boldness.
  2. The community of goods (4:32-37). A further summary of the life of the early church.
  3. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-11).
  4. The sum of the matter (5:12-16). The apostles heal many. The continued growth of the church.
  5. Portents and persecutions (5:17-42). The 2nd arrest of the apostles. Conflict with the authorities again.
    1. The apostles are re-arrested (5:17-33).
    2. The moderating influence of Gamaliel (5:34-40).
    3. The ministry of the apostles continues (5:41-42).
  6. The 7 servants (6:1-7). The appointment of Stephen. Resolution of a significant conflict in the Jerusalem church.
  7. The trial, testimony and termination of Stephen (6:8-8:3).
    1. The controversy over Stephen (6:8-15). The prophetic ministry of Stephen.
    2. Stephen’s speech in court (7:1-53). Stephen’s “defence.”
      1. The foundational promises to Abraham (7:2-8).
      2. Joseph was blessed with grace and wisdom for the salvation of God’s people (7:9-16).
      3. Moses was blessed with wisdom and power, in words and deeds, for the salvation of God’s people (7:17-38).
      4. Jesus was rejected as part of a continuing pattern of disobedience to God (7:39-53).
      5. Jesus as the glorified Son of Man (7:54-56).
    3. The death of Stephen (7:57-8:1a). Stephen’s martyrdom.
    4. The sequel to Stephen’s death (8:1b-3). Persecution leads to expansion.
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