seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Acts 3:11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if 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, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.
17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’
24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
Ok, we're still in the temple courts. The man everyone is staring at has been laying by the Beautiful Gate where the richer would enter the Temple. He was laying there, begging, for so long, the people knew him. It's like there is a car that's always parked in one spot at work... and one day it's gone... you would notice, right? On top of that... the guy was not just standing on his own two legs... that lame beggar was jumping up and down belting out the praise hymns. What kind of church service do you prefer? I can recall a lot of discussion about traditional vs. praise services. This guy was in the area where traditional would have been the only way... after all the priest was still tying a rope around his waist before going into the Holy of Holys, just as they had right after Moses and company built the first Temple back in the beginning. They would not waver.... and in comes this beggar guy.... jumping up and down on fresh legs.... belting out praise hymns at the top of his lungs.... dragging Peter and John around.... not because he needed them to get around.... but to show it all off! They drew a crowd!
So Peter used the opportunity to call for Repentance.
This is from the commentary.
Repent therefore: As he did in his first sermon, Peter called upon the crowd to repent. He told them to turn around in their thinking and actions.
i. Peter spoke boldly to them about their sin, but he didn’t just want to make them feel bad. That wasn’t the goal. The goal was to encourage them to repent and believe.
ii. Repentance does not describe being sorry, but describes the act of turning around. And as he used it in chapter two, here also Peter made repent a word of hope. He told them that they had done wrong; but that they could turn it around and become right with God.
On top of that... Peter told them to change their ways...
Boice says that be converted is better translated, “turn to God” — or, even better, “flee to God.” Boice connects this with the imagery of the cities of refuge in the Old Testament, and thinks Peter told them to flee to Jesus as their place of refuge.
He called for them to Repent, so their sins could be blotted out.Blotted out: This has the idea of wiping ink off of a document. Ink in the ancient world had no acid content and didn’t “bite” into the paper. It could almost always be wiped off with a damp cloth. Peter said that God would wipe away our record of sin just like that.
Wow... what a pulpit riding sermon.... shame he couldn't do that while Jesus was around.... rather than denying Him. Wait... he was forgiven for that... I shouldn't be bringing it up. Well, if being forgiven means you never remember that sin... then how are you going to recognize it and not do it any longer. Sins are forgiven... but not forgotten. That way we can avoid them.
Peter preached a pulpit riding sermon about Repentance! People heard the call... more Christians were added to the fold. The first time Peter spoke... there were 3,000 converts.... and that was at the house... now he's speaking at the Temple... where the crowds were bigger... I wonder... how many people heard the call.
Peter could ride the pulpit!
