Challenge
Acts 3:17-21.
“And now brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. “But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. “Repent, therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, “that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, “whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.”
Dear Citizens of Heaven,
In his hard-hitting sermon, Peter also offered a lifeline to his hearers. Yes, they were guilty of the murder of God’s anointed Messiah, but on their part, it was out of
Foolishness (v. 17). It is folly for one to imagine that one can be wiser than God, or that one can get away with going contrary to God’s plan. God is sovereign. Those who oppose him are fools for doing so.
Fulfillment (v. 18). Imagine throwing everything in God’s way in order to frustrate his plan, appearing to succeed, and then discovering to your horror that you acted exactly according to plan! By opposing God’s Messiah and having him killed, the people had only helped to fulfill prophecy. It was prophesied that Christ would suffer, and they made him suffer.
Freshening (v. 19-20). The tragedy of being wrong is in insisting on one’s wrong way. Peter invited the people to acknowledge that they had been wrong, renounce their unbelief and rebellion, and turn to Christ. If they did, God would renew them from within. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in all who believe (Titus 3:5). Following this, he will send the Jesus they had once rejected but now believed in. This is most likely a reference to the second coming.
Forward-Looking (v. 21). For the present, Jesus will remain in heaven, into which he was received at his ascension (1:9-11). He will return when it’s time to restore “all things,” as already prophesied. The world is ruled by evil. Even nature suffers. But Jesus will come to establish his kingdom on earth, where “The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like an ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain.” To prepare for that day, one must repent and believe in Jesus. Have you?
Your Loving Pastor Chris.