Repentance and God's Promises (Acts 3)
This sermon delves into the Apostle Peter's bold message in Acts chapter 3, presenting a foundational understanding of the gospel's call. It explores how divine grace and forgiveness become available, even in the face of profound human error.
Peter's sermon in Acts 3 moves from indicting his audience for Jesus's death to offering profound grace. He calls for repentance, promising forgiveness, the kingdom's arrival, the Messiah's return, judgment avoidance, and the realization of all God's blessings.
Overview
The sermon begins by recounting Peter's initial preaching, which first brought a heavy burden of guilt to his Jewish audience for denying and executing Jesus, the Son of God. Peter highlighted Jesus's glorification by God and His resurrection.
Peter then immediately transitions to grace, acknowledging that his audience acted in ignorance, a point Jesus also made on the cross. This ignorance, coupled with God's foreordained plan for Christ's suffering, opens the door for forgiveness, rather than disqualifying the Messiah.
The call to repentance is presented as a turning away from previous conclusions about Christ and returning to Him. Peter then outlines five profound blessings that accompany repentance: the wiping away of sins, the coming of the promised kingdom, the return of the Messiah, the avoidance of judgment, and the realization of all God's covenant blessings.
These blessings, particularly the kingdom, are described through Old Testament prophecies, illustrating a future time of peace, joy, and the full knowledge of the Lord on Earth. The sermon concludes by affirming that God's promises to Israel remain, even as it extends these blessings to all who believe.
Key points
- Peter's sermon in Acts 3 begins with a strong indictment of the Jewish people for denying and executing Jesus, the Son of God.
- He quickly transitions to grace, explaining their actions were done in ignorance and fulfilled God's pre-announced prophetic plan.
- Peter calls for repentance and turning back to Christ, which involves reversing one's verdict and fully embracing Him as Lord.
- Five blessings are promised: sins wiped away, the coming of the promised kingdom, the Messiah's return, avoidance of judgment, and realization of all God's covenant blessings.
- The promised kingdom is a future earthly utopia of peace, joy, and the full knowledge of the Lord, described by Old Testament prophets.
- God's promises to Israel remain, and the kingdom's arrival is conditioned on the nation's future repentance.
- Despite opposition, many who heard the message believed, growing the number of followers to about 5,000.
In John MacArthur's words
“Rather than the death of Messiah, listen carefully, disqualifying the Messiah, his suffering and death validates him as the Messiah because that's what the prophets said would happen.”
“Grace begins to be extended on the basis of Numbers 15 because of ignorance, of ignorance.”
“If you will turn around and repent and go toward my son believing him to be who he claimed to be, I will wipe out your sins.”
Outline
- I. The Indictment: Denying and Executing the Messiah (Acts 3:13-16)
- A. Peter's accusation to his audience
- B. The frightening reality of Jesus's resurrection
- II. The Transition to Grace (Acts 3:17-18)
- A. Acting in ignorance (Acts 3:17)
- 1. Jesus's prayer on the cross (Luke 23:34)
- 2. Possibility of forgiveness where there is ignorance
- B. God's pre-announced plan (Acts 3:18)
- 1. Christ's suffering fulfilled prophecy
- 2. Their actions unwittingly fulfilled divine plan
- III. The Call to Repentance and Return (Acts 3:19a)
- A. "Repent" (metanoeo): Turn and go the other way
- B. "Return" (epistrepho): Turn around and go back to Christ
- IV. Five Blessings for Repentance (Acts 3:19-26)
- A. Sins will be wiped away (Acts 3:19a)
- 1. Forgiveness for "terrible iniquities"
- 2. The verb "to wipe out" (like ink from papyrus)
- B. The kingdom will come (Acts 3:19b, 21)
- 1. "Times of refreshing" and "period of restoration of all things"
- 2. A future earthly kingdom described by prophets (Isaiah 11:6-10)
- 3. Conditions of the kingdom: peace, joy, holiness, justice, no sickness, etc.
- 4. Kingdom's arrival conditioned on Israel's repentance
- C. The Messiah will return (Acts 3:20-21)
- 1. No kingdom without the King
- 2. Jesus must remain in heaven until the "period of restoration"
- 3. Prophesied in Zechariah 12-14 and Romans 11
- D. Judgment will be avoided (Acts 3:22-23)
- 1. Moses prophesied a prophet like him (Deuteronomy 18:15-19)
- 2. Those who do not heed that prophet will be "utterly destroyed"
- 3. All prophets from Samuel on announced Messiah's arrival and warning
- E. All promised blessings will be realized (Acts 3:25-26)
- 1. "Sons of the prophets and of the covenant" (Genesis to Abraham)
- 2. God sent his servant Jesus to bless them by turning them from wicked ways
- V. The Response (Acts 4:1-4)
- A. Persecution of Peter and John
- B. Many believed, increasing the number to about 5,000
- C. The gospel message: guilt but also grace
Scripture references
- Acts 3:13-16
- Acts 2:37
- Acts 3:17
- Luke 23:34
- Hebrews 10
- Numbers 15
- Acts 17
- Acts 3:18
- Acts 3:19
- Acts 3:20
- Acts 3:21
- Isaiah 11:6
- Isaiah 11:6-10
- Revelation 20
- Acts 3:22
- Acts 3:23
- Deuteronomy 18:15-19
- Zechariah 9:9
- Acts 3:25
- Acts 3:26
- Zechariah 12
- Zechariah 13
- Zechariah 14
- Romans 11
- Acts 4:1-4
13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.
34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you,
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
+ 13 more verses — Read Revelation of John 20 in full context →
22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
16 According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
17 And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
1 The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
1 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,
2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.
4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
Insights
Ignorance does not excuse guilt, but it can open the door to grace.
God’s redemptive plan often unfolds through human actions, even in denial.
Repentance is a fundamental reorientation of one's mind and direction.
Questions & answers
What was Peter's initial accusation against his audience in Acts 3?
Peter accused his Jewish audience of denying and executing Jesus, the Son of God, whom the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had glorified and raised from the dead.
How does Peter transition from guilt to grace in his sermon?
Peter transitions by assuring his audience that they acted in ignorance regarding Jesus, a point Jesus himself made on the cross. He also clarifies that Jesus's suffering and death fulfilled God's prophetic plan, not thwarted it.
What are the five blessings promised to those who repent?
The five blessings are: their sins will be wiped away; times of refreshing, signifying the coming kingdom, will arrive; the Messiah will return; judgment will be avoided; and all God's promised blessings will be realized.
What is meant by "times of refreshing" and "period of restoration of all things"?
These phrases refer to the coming millennial kingdom on Earth, a future era described by Old Testament prophets as a time of perfect peace, joy, holiness, and complete knowledge, led by the Messiah.
Does this sermon suggest that God's promises to Israel are still valid?
Yes, the sermon explicitly states that God has not canceled his promises to Israel and that they are still "the sons of the prophets and of the covenant." The kingdom's arrival is conditioned on Israel's future repentance.
What was the immediate response to Peter's sermon?
While Peter and John were subsequently arrested and jailed by religious leaders, many of those who heard the message believed, increasing the number of men to about 5,000.
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