Acts Chapter 3

 Throughout our study, I have emphasized the importance of knowing and understanding what constitutes gospel preaching. While all preaching may be motivating, inspiring, and energetic, all preaching is not gospel preaching. Gospel preaching is the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ, his birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and his return. Gospel preaching presents Jesus Christ as the only solution for man’s ills and that it is only through accepting Him as Lord and savior that man will have eternal life. The center of gospel preaching is Jesus Christ. The symbol of gospel preaching is the cross. To preach anything else other than Christ and Him crucified is to be considered a false teacher.

The bible warns repeatedly of the ever-present danger of false teachers. A false teacher is one who claims to represent God, yet he misrepresents the truth, thereby doing great harm to those who accept and believe his message.

Jesus calls false teachers “ravenous wolves” (Matt. 7:15). Some false prophets show signs and wonders, misleading even the elect (Matt. 24:24). The danger posed by false teachers makes it even more imperative that there be a way to distinguish false preachers from those who speak truth from God. (John 10:25; 37-38; 14:11)

One of the ways to determine genuine proclamation is the miracles, signs, and wonders that follow. This astounding miracle of healing this lame man is a miracle to confirm the word and to prepare this curious crowd to hear the gospel.

 Acts Chapter 3:12-26

 The Central Person of the Gospel Message, Jesus Christ!

 The one thing that made the preacher of old so powerful in his sermonic presentation was, was his central and supreme concern for exalting the name of Jesus Christ. Preaching today has become polluted because the modern preacher compromises the gospel, preaching a social gospel, a gospel that tickles the ears, thus removing himself from the risk that comes from preaching the pure gospel of Christ.

Peter was the first to preach in the name of Jesus, and all who truly preaches the gospel stand in the tradition deriving from him.

There are many names ascribed to Jesus, some of which are:

1. Alpha and Omega

2. Bread of Life

3. Bright and Morning Star

4. First Born from the Dead

5. Immanuel

6. Life of the World

7. Man of Sorrow

8. Mighty God

9. Prince of Peace

10. Root of David

11. Righteous Judge

Many, many more, but his most common name is Jesus!

Why preach Jesus? Because he alone provides Salvation. It is through him that all spiritual blessings come, he alone forgives sin. It is through him that we live, move and have our being.

The scene in chapter three verse twelve opens with peter raising two questions to clear up the crowds confusion about the healing of this lame man, thus, launching the theme of Christ as the subject and central person of his message.

I.    The Confusion of the crowd - (v.12)

 The miracle was an opportunity for peter to preach Jesus Christ.

Question 1: Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this?

As a covenant people, they know God to be a miracle working God. It is always interesting that while we pray for miracles, and know God to be a miracle working God, when he performs miracles on our behalf, we always look for some human explanation.

Question 2: Why look ye so earnestly on us?

The crowd’s problem was they believed God alone had the power to perform miracles, but they denied that Jesus was God, thus, peter seeks to prove that Jesus was the messiah, the one approved by God.

II    Jesus, The Servant - (V. 13a)

Peter uses two familiar metaphoric phrases to establish the servant hood of Jesus.

1. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, a title familiar to the Jewish nation, which stresses the covenant relationship with Israel.

2. Hath glorified his servant, a familiar Old Testament designation for messiah. Jesus was a servant, for he himself said; I did not come to be served, but to serve. When his suffering was over, God glorified him, exalting him to the position of honor at the right hand of the father.

Ill    Jesus - (V. 13b)

Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, meaning “The lord is Salvation.” the nation of Israel rejected Jesus instead of welcoming him.

IV    Jesus, The Holy and Just one - (V.14)

To further emphasize their guilt, peter repeats the charge that they disowned Jesus, The Holy and Just one before Pilate. Worse then their denial, they asked for a murderer, namely, Barabbas.

Holy one - means separated to God.

Just - (Righteous) carries the idea of being innocent of a crime.

V    The Prince of Life - (Vs. 15-17)

The term Prince of Life translates the originator, pioneer, or beginner of something (Heb. 12:2). Jesus is the source of all life (John 5:26, 11:25, 14:6).

Gospel preaching doe not end with the death of the Prince of Life, but with the fact that God raised him from the dead.

VI    Jesus, The Christ (V.18)

To reject Jesus, and even to execute him, does not thwart Gods plan. The death of Christ did not catch God by surprise, his death was spoken before hand by the prophets, his death was the fulfillment of prophesy.

 VII    Repentance, the basis of gospel preaching (Vs.19-26)

 The challenge of the gospel is always the call of sinners to repent. Repentance was also the command of apostolic preaching. What is repentance?

Repentance - to change one’s mind or purpose. Repentance is more than an intellectual decision; it is a change of mind that issues in a change of behavior. Jesus illustrates true repentance: (Matt. 21:28-31).

 There are three motivations for repentance:

1. The knowledge of God’s revealed truth (Matt. 11:21-24; Luke 16:30-31.

2. The sorrow for sin (lI Cor. 7:9-10)

3. The goodness and kindness of God (Rom. 2:4)

4. The fear of judgment (Acts 17:30-31).

 Repentance was the key that unlocked everything. Peter had clearly shown that the claims of Jesus were constant with Old Testament prophecy, so that it was a compelling case for his hearers to respond in repentance and belief.

Those who refuse to repent and turn from their sins will be cast into outer darkness (Matt. 8:12).

Next Week: Persecution, and how to handle it.
Read Acts 4:1-31

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